The Last Destroyer: Act I
by A Mad Kat
Summary: -AU- What if A Family Affair was not the end of Dahak's presence in the world? And what if the last Destroyer was dragged only reluctantly into the games of gods and men? OC. Rated M to cover all bases; language, violence, sexuality.
1. Prologue

_Author's Note: The seeds of this story were actually sown over ten years ago with a character I created to tell stories in the Xenaverse with some friends. While Xena and Gabrielle feature prominently in the tale, they are not the main characters and actually take a hiatus in later chapters. Worry not, loyal reader, for there will be other, much-beloved secondary characters from the Xenaverse to take their place. This story begins closely following Season 4 canon continuity but will diverge into a slightly different take on later events. The reason for this is because I didn't necessarily like the way Season 4 turned out and I certainly didn't care for what happened in the next season, so with the Power of the Pen I can change things to suit my tastes a bit better. All part of the perks of being an author. I don't have all the time in the world to write these days so some chapters may be slow in coming, but hang on if you dare because you're in for a crazy ride. This story is NOT FOR KIDDIES. This is the raw Xenaverse and explores issues of violence and perhaps sexuality later on, and there will be strong language._

The Battling Bard of Potedaia sat despondently in the corner of a tavern, surrounded by countryfolk yet feeling completely alone. Her traveling companion, Xena, was tending to Argo at a local stable and had left the young strawberry-blonde to wander the town with only her thoughts as company. Their last battle wore heavily on Gabrielle's mind, filling her with remorse and self-doubt.

_If only I had been just a moment faster, or made a more accurate throw,_ Gabrielle admonished herself. _I can't believe I let Phlanagus die. I'll never forget the look on his family's faces at the funeral. They've lost a husband and father they can never replace. Why couldn't I have hit the mark with that javelin? I've thrown my staff and disabled attackers at a much longer range than that. Did some part of me miss on purpose, because I didn't want to be burdened with taking another life, even if it was a Roman soldier? But what good is it to say I avoided taking life when I failed to protect another life, the life of a brave and dutiful man who was counting on me? If I can't make a stand when it counts, especially if it involves killing, do I even belong in battle in the first place? And if I don't really belong in battle, what does that mean for my life with Xena?_

Gabrielle's musings were rudely interrupted by a mug being shoved under her nose. She saw her troubled reflection in the dark ale it contained and frowned. Looking up at the server she protested quietly, "I didn't order this."

"Compliments of the shaggy one over there," the gruff man replied shortly, jerking his head in the direction of the back wall. There on a box sat a figure slumped in roughly the same pose Gabrielle had been in a moment before, staring into a mug. Her benefactor was dressed in a fur sleeveless tunic and a wraparound skirt made of some kind of hide. An unkempt mane of brown hair spilled over the stranger's face.

Gabrielle stood up and made her way through the crowd to where the figure sat. She stopped when she was still a couple of paces away. For some reason she couldn't identify, a chill ran up the bard's spine as she approached and she thought it best to stay where she was. "Hi," she began uncertainly. "Thanks for the drink."

The stranger did not respond or even look up. Gabrielle tried again. "Were you the one who bought me a drink? Because the server said…"

This time a hand came up to silence her. The hand brushed back the brown frizz, and Gabrielle came face to face with a striking young woman who could not have been older than eighteen. The two eyes that met hers were such a deep brown they were almost black, burning through her with an intensity Gabrielle had rarely seen in her life. It unsettled her enough that she took another step back in spite of herself. "I got you somethin'," the girl growled in a low voice. "Don't mean you can talk to me." The young woman's manner of speaking was a perfect imitation of common dialect for that region, but she had a slight accent Gabrielle couldn't quite place.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bother you," Gabrielle apologized. "I just thought I'd thank you, and maybe ask why you did it."

The young woman returned her eyes to her ale and shrugged. "Looked like you were havin' a day is all. 'S all over your face."

"It's true. I've got a lot on my mind." The bard looked more closely into the young woman's face, now that the disquieting eyes were no longer on her, and thought she saw a trace of sadness there. "How about you?"

"What did I just say 'bout talkin'?" The stranger took a deep swig of ale, then wiped her mouth on one of the battered leather bracers she wore around each forearm.

"Sometimes it helps to talk things out."

"Oh yeah? Then why were you hidin' out in a corner, if you were so keen to talk things out?"

"I don't really have a good answer for that." The slim young woman squatted down until she was at eye level with the stranger. It was then she noticed an enormous knife hung in a sheath at the brown-haired woman's side. _That almost looks like it could be a skinning knife. She's wearing animal hides. Is she a hunter, or…? _"My name's Gabrielle. What's yours?"

The stranger guffawed. "No one knows my name. I only tell my name to my friends."

"But if you tell your friends – "

"Like I said," the other woman interrupted, "no one knows my name." She stared meaningfully at Gabrielle.

"You don't have any friends."

"Damn straight. Now get outta my face and go take care of whatever it is eatin' you. You wanna talk about it, you find a different pair of ears than mine. Someone friendly like you, talks to someone you don't even know, I'm sure you got people that will listen."

Gabrielle realized that was probably all she was going to get out of her brusque new acquaintance, so she rose to go. Before she turned away, she felt compelled to reach out one more time to the strange girl who had offered her generosity but now seemed so unfriendly. "I know you aren't looking for someone to listen right now, but whatever it is that's wrong, I hope you find a way through it too." The blonde moved off, but before the crowd closed behind her she heard, "Gabrielle."

She returned to where she had stood before and waited. The woman sitting on the box sighed, seeming hesitant, then took another drink. "You can call me Tira Darkheart."

"Your name is Tira?"

"No, no, Tira Darkheart. You have to say the whole thing every time. It's not a name. It's a damn title, and you can bet that I've earned it. You satisfied?"

"Despite what you might think, I'm glad to have met you, Tira Darkheart. But I have to go. You were right. There's someone waiting for me."

The woman calling herself "Tira Darkheart" nodded. She watched Gabrielle walk away and couldn't stop the corner of her mouth from curling up into a smirk. _Broke her out of her mood, at least for a minute. Somethin' about her, didn't seem right for her to be so down. _She studied the blonde woman more closely, intrigued. _Wait a bit, Gabrielle. Gabrielle. Where have I heard that name before? Is that – no, couldn't be. There's a famous bard Gabrielle, but no way it's her._ Then she watched as the other woman gathered up a staff and a bag from behind her table. Poking out of the bag was one end of a scroll. _I'll be damned. It's THAT Gabrielle. Those must be some of the Xena scrolls in there. I wonder if she – ah, hell with it._ She followed Gabrielle out the door with her eyes. _Like she'd wanna answer a bunch of questions about that anyhow. Probably gets tired of the attention. I know I'm damn tired of attention myself. So why would I wanna be talkin' to some random adventurer anyhow? Ought to know better._

Although the tavern was loud, the fur-clad loner could easily hear a telltale scratching outside a nearby window. Easily hefting the heavy crate she had been sitting on, she put it beneath the window ledge and peered down to the alleyway below. There an enormous long-furred cat, larger than any bobcat but still smaller than a lion or a panther, was clawing great chunks out of one of the tavern's supporting beams.

"You're making a mess," she said casually to the massive cat, no longer speaking Greek.

"Just making sure everyone knows it's mine," the cat replied easily in the same language as he had been addressed. The woman and the cat undersood each other perfectly, although none of the local villagers would have.

"That one beam, or the whole building?"

The cat seemed to shrug, as best a cat could be supposed to shrug. "Both I guess."

The loner known only as "Tira Darkheart" smiled broadly. "Good to see you again buddy. You done carousin'?"

"Yeah. What about you? Looks like you're having a rough day."

"Try a rough life, man."

"I'm sorry. Anything I can do?"

"Nah, it's the same old. He came to see me again. I told him to fuck off again. Bitch of a situation, but what can I do? Can't really get rid of him."

"We could move on again."

The cat's companion spat distastefully. "We're always movin' on, but it changes nothing. I'm sick of it."

Suddenly from outside there was a shrill, piercing scream. A washerwoman carrying some shirts to the line behind the tavern had spotted the large feline apparently talking to a wild-haired woman leaning out of the window. The cat's eyes went wide and his hairs stood on end, making him seem even more freakish. "You know what that means."

"Sure do." The roguish loner hoisted herself through the window, tumbling down to land on her feet. "Time to go, Mendi." The unusual pair sprinted out of town, drawing stares from the confused villagers before disappearing into the nearby forest.


	2. Disquieting News

_ She lay on her back on the ground, in terrible pain. It was freezing, and the tattered clothes that wrapped her broken body barely covered her. Snow clung to her hair and eyelashes. She hadn't even the strength left to shiver. She turned her head to the side and saw another battered woman. Her soulful eyes peered back from under short blonde hair, an expression of serenity and sadness. She too was being laid down into the snow, onto some dark shape that was barely recognizable through eyes brimming with tears. The blonde never lost that determined calm, even as a man in armor yanked her arm out to the side roughly, placing a board and a nail on top of her outstretched palm._

Xena shot up from her bedroll drenched in sweat. She couldn't stop having the nightmare. It was always the same every time. She could remember every tiny detail, unchanged since the first time Alti had showed her the vision. The warrior dropped her face into her hands, rubbing her cheeks and eyebrows roughly. Turning over onto her side, she looked at the blonde woman sleeping next to her and stroked her hair tenderly, softly so as not to wake her. _Still long,_ Xena thought to herself. _That's something, anyway._ Knowing she would not be able to get back to sleep before dawn, Xena rose silently and padded out into the woods near their camp.

Gabrielle was the most important person in Xena's world, and now she had to deal with the knowledge that she might be responsible for the bard's painful death. Gabrielle, of course, had no idea. _I almost wish Najara had just gone ahead and told her about the vision. Then it all would have been out in the open. But she was right, that would have only hurt Gabrielle. And apparently, that's my job. I seem to be good at it. Maybe I should tell her myself. I just can't do it. When I thought I'd lost her it made me crazy with grief. Every moment I was without her after I watched her fall into the pit, I couldn't think of anything else. All I could see was her face, watching me as she sacrificed herself to save my life. I can't lose her again, not so soon. If that makes me selfish, so be it. If we are to die soon then I want to spend all the time I have left with her._ Xena's brooding was interrupted by an all-too-familiar crawling sensation on the back of her neck. _As if I didn't have enough to worry about._

"Ares. Come on out, I can practically smell you. Why are you watching me?"

The God of War materialized in front of her, leaning against a tree. He smiled at her mirthlessly. "How's it going, Xena? Having a little trouble sleeping? Bad dreams keeping you up nights?"

The warrior's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, Ares? I'm not in the mood for your games."

The handsome god's smile vanished and he stood straight, dropping his relaxed pretense. "No games, Xena. I'm afraid this time it's serious. There's something you need to know."

"Oh really? You only offer me information when there's something in it for you. So what's the catch?"

"No catch. I know that once I say my piece you'll understand the situation from my point of view, and do what needs to be done."

Xena snorted. "So you need me to do your dirty work. Better talk fast, Ares. I'm not in a patient mood."

Ares moved closer. Even though for this visit he was all business, he could still feel the energy between him and the Warrior Princess. He supposed that after all of their history together, it was only natural. "Neither am I. This can't wait." The god frowned and took a breath. "What I'm about to say might touch a nerve, but deal with it until I'm finished. I take it you remember the Destroyer."

"Oh, your little love child with Hope? How could I forget? I don't like where this is going, Ares."

"I didn't think you would. Truth is, you did us both a favor by killing it, and getting Hope out of the picture too was a nice bonus. Good work there. Now you need to do it again."

Xena felt sick to her stomach. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Ares growled as he paced around Xena restlessly, "that there's another one. Another Destroyer. The spawn of Dahak."

"Let me guess. This one doesn't happen to be yours, so you need it gone."

"You know, I deserved that. Sure, I fucked up, siding with Dahak and impregnating Hope. It was a calculated risk, and I lost. But I can let it go, Xena. I can focus on the task at hand. Can you? Forget that this is coming from me and use that clever mind of yours I'm always so impressed with. Dahak's Destroyer walks the earth. I don't need to explain what's at stake here."

"This doesn't make any sense." Xena found herself pacing alongside Ares, just as unsettled. "How? How could there be another Destroyer? Hope had two children?"

"No. This one isn't Hope's. Bear with me, Xena. It's as hard for me to swallow as it is for you. Seems that the irritating little blond wasn't the first mortal for Dahak to get hold of. Before that, years ago, there was a seer, a witch named Telacyne, who wanted more power and was willing to do anything to get it. She voluntarily coupled with Dahak to create a daughter. Problem was, the child they created was unstable and, ultimately, not strong enough to serve Dahak's purposes. So he turned his back on what he viewed as a degenerate line. His new plan was to create a child from an innocent, and you and your precious Gabrielle know the rest. But apparently, that first daughter of Dahak, the one before Hope, got knocked up along the way, and her demon seed is now roaming free around the countryside. That clear enough for you?"

Xena narrowed suspicious eyes at Ares. "How do you know all this?"

"Insider information, Xena. It's a god thing. All you need to worry about now is how to kill it."

Xena's hand went to her chakram almost as a reflex. "Where?"

"Greece." Xena's blood ran cold. "Not far from here, actually. That's why I'm coming to you now. You're close. I know which forest it's in, in the shadow of the mountains. You can be there in days, if you hurry."

"This is too much. Ares, none of this makes any sense. I know there's more you aren't telling me."

"Would it matter if there was? You're letting your mistrust of me get in the way of your better judgment. You already know what your mission is, Xena. So go, be the Warrior Princess and do what you're best at. Save the world, and save yourself. Simple."

"You know I have no choice. Does that make you happy, Ares, seeing me jump at your word 'go' one more time?"

Ares pursed his lips and raised an eyebrow. "It might, if I were in a better mood. But I'm not. You'll go now?"

"First light. Just tell me where."


	3. The Hunted

Xena pulled Argo up to a halt in front of some low, eroded hills, barren on the top third of their height. One lone peak rose up over the landscape, looking considerably out of place among its worn fellows. "This is the place," Xena grunted as she dismounted Argo and helped Gabrielle down. "Ares was right. It wasn't far at all. Hopefully we're not too late. I don't know how long this thing has been around or how strong it's gotten."

Gabrielle nodded numbly. The bard had said little since Xena told her about the late night meeting with Ares and what he had revealed. She wasn't even sure what more could be said about it. She clutched her staff with white knuckles as Xena waved Argo off and they started towards the woods. It was early morning. The duo had wanted to make sure not to be caught out at night with the Destroyer able to stalk them from cover of darkness. They walked in silence, Gabrielle's eyes fixed firmly ahead. From time to time the tall warrior looked over at her companion. Each time she glanced at Gabrielle's pale, sweaty face, she grew more concerned until finally she placed a hand on her friend's shoulder to stop her. "Gabrielle. Stay here. I can handle this one alone. Please. I know this brings up a lot of bad memories for you."

"For us. Don't pretend this isn't as hard for you as it is for me. At least this time it's not my grandson," Gabrielle joked weakly. She could not bring herself to smile even at her own remark. "Seriously, though, Xena, we're doing this together. Neither of us should have to face this alone."

"I feel like this is all I ever do these days. Lead you into serious danger. It's not right." Xena paused, turning away from Gabrielle. "Maybe you'd be better off at that hospice right now."

"Stop it. How many times do I have to tell you that I know my place is with you, wherever it leads? What will it take to make you believe me?" Gabrielle sighed and started walking again. "Nevermind. Let's not tempt the fates with that question right now."

"All right. But you're going to follow my lead. No sudden moves. If the weather so much as turns cloudy, you leave the woods."

"Xena, I'm not a little girl anymore. You taught me how to track. I'll never be as good as you, but I'm not an amateur and I'm not sloppy. And that's why we're going to split up and search separately."

Xena fixed an icy gaze on Gabrielle and grabbed her arm. "Absolutely not. You can't be alone in there with that thing."

"You're not thinking strategically. You know we have to find the Destroyer as soon as possible, and searching separately is the best way to accomplish that. If you don't stop worrying about me instead of the mission we're both in trouble. Come on. We can do this. We just have to keep a clear head."

The Warrior Princess sighed deeply. She knew her protégé's logic was sound. She released Gabrielle's arm reluctantly. She remembered a time when she could squeeze her companion's arm and her fingers sank into soft flesh. Now the bard's toned, flexed bicep was easily visible just below the skin. So many things had changed. "You listen up, and listen good. If you find the Destroyer first you DO NOT attack, understand? You signal for me like I taught you and if you're spotted you lead it in my direction. You promise me you will not try to fight it on your own." Xena swallowed hard. "Promise me," she said just a bit too shakily.

"I promise." The fighters had reached the edge of the woods. "We're here. Time to go." Quickly the partners worked out a search plan, then went their separate ways.

Xena stalked through the woods noiselessly, sword at the ready. The terrain was broken and rocky, and she used natural features to her advantage. She successfully forced herself to forget that she had left Gabrielle alone and focused only on finding her quarry. Sunlight streamed down through the treetops, glinting off of her keen, battle-tested blade. She moved steadily but quickly, keeping to her predetermined search pattern. At a small stream she paused to kneel and take a drink, her mouth being so dry she thought her tongue would glue to her cheek. The experienced tracker was extremely uneasy. She had the disquieting sensation that she was the one being watched and followed, instead of the other way around. She looked in all directions, including up and down, but saw and heard nothing. _Well, at least if it's spotted me and it's trying to follow, it'll attack me instead of Gabrielle and I'll be ready._ She flicked the water from her hand and gripped her sword more tightly, deeply disturbed that she could not identify who or what was tailing her.

Only when the warrior began to move again did a brown, shaggy head poke out from behind a tree trunk about twenty feet in the air. The young woman in the tree narrowed her brown-black eyes and observed the intruder with calm interest. _Gotta hand it to her, she's good. She knows I'm here. There's no way she should know that, but she does. No question as to who that could be. But why is the famous Warrior Princess tromping around out here? What is she looking for, and why is she so on guard? This is my territory. If there was a problem here I'd know, and I'd have taken care of it already. Now she's got me wonderin' what's up. I better keep out of sight until I see what's going on. She'll never find me unless I let her. She may be a living legend, but she can't outwit a born predator. I live for this._

Xena was being driven to her wits end. Everywhere she went, she knew she was not alone, but she could not definitively pin down any presence save the wildlife. The animals seemed disturbed only by her, not by anything else, only adding to her confusion. _If the Destroyer was following me, the deer and rabbits should be scattering in terror, but they aren't. None of this adds up. I'm getting damn sick of this chase._ A barely perceptible movement up and to her right caught Xena's eye. For the first time she could clearly identify something near her, a shadowy entity up on a ledge leading into a short cave. _Mistake. I know where you are. This ends now._

A massive paw reached up to scratch an ear lazily, then dropped back to the stone, spilling gray-brown fur across the rock. Mendi had felt a gnat, or perhaps a spider, crawling in his sensitive headspace, but he was barely conscious enough to care. The great cat was exhausted from a long night of hunting and gorging, and the only thing on his mind was a long, undisturbed nap. He nudged his nose up under his front leg, covering his face. He was having a hard time getting comfortable. Despite his exhaustion he felt edgy.

The seasoned warrior crept up on her target undetected. _This is not completely ideal, since it's got the high ground, but I have a clear enough view I don't have to get to close. Let's see how the Destroyer likes having its head split open._ Xena made her way up onto a nearby, but slightly lower, ledge, and took aim with her chakram. Her throw was perfect, precisely on target.

A faint whistling sound caused Mendi to look up suddenly. His eyes went wide as something shiny sped directly towards his face. He was far too sleepy and too surprised to move. It was about to be the last thing the cat creature ever saw except that seemingly out of nowhere, another blur shot towards him.

PTING! Xena's chakram, deflected just before impact, ricocheted off of the cave wall with a hollow ring. Redirected back the way it came, it stuck deep into a tree trunk just behind the Warrior Princess. Knowing she was now exposed, Xena gave a war yelp and charged.

The wild woman, panting, lay in a heap on an unharmed Mendi. "What. The. Fuck." She looked down at her forearm and saw that there was a deep gouge in the leather of her bracer, revealing the metal shell underneath. The metal had been sheared by the chakram, leaving ragged edges that now dug into her flesh. Mendi, now fully awake and alert, let out a fearsome snarl and pounced on Xena as she raced up the slope. The enraged animal had gravity on his side, and both cat and warrior tumbled down the hillside end over end. Mendi landed on top and attempted to bite Xena's throat, but Xena was quicker and jammed her armored forearm into his mouth. The huge cat gripped the arm in his teeth and swatted Xena heavily in the face. The warrior turned her head to the side with the blow, managing to avoid the worst of the claws, but the smart rap on her temple blurred her vision for a moment. Using her unhindered feet Xena kicked the cat off of her, sending him skittering across the leaf litter. Before he could fully regain his footing Xena was on top of him, totally focused on the kill, her sword raised high. She brought the weapon down towards Mendi's neck only to feel her blade lock with another.

The warrior stared down in shock. A ferocious-looking teenager, clad in fur and hide, was between her and the monstrous cat. She had parried Xena's blade on the hilt of an oversized knife she wielded in her right hand. The stranger took advantage of Xena's moment of hesitation to plant a kick squarely in the warrior's breastplate. The force of the blow took Xena off her feet, but she quickly recovered. She paused, circling the cat and her unknown assailant, assessing the situation. The young woman flicked her tangle of brown hair back and glared warningly at Xena, but did not attack. The hand that was not holding the knife stroked the great cat's head soothingly, keeping him steady. "Stop it," the girl growled. "I'll kill you before I let you hurt Mendi."

Xena had not been prepared for anything like this. Although talking in the middle of a fight was not her style, she didn't want to hurt a bystander, even if that bystander could apparently block her chakram and knock her off of her feet. _Whoever this is, I need her out of the way, right now._ "Listen, kid," she spat back just as aggressively, "I don't know who you are or what in Tartarus you think you're doing, but you need to get out of here and I don't mean maybe. That…THING…has to die."

"You're crazy. You just attacked him out of nowhere, and HE has to die?" The youth spoke with a slight accent that Xena felt like she recognized. "You'd better get outta here before you REALLY piss me off. These are my woods. You're not welcome here anymore."

"I don't have time for this shit. Kid, you move or you get hurt. You have no idea what you're protecting. That monster could be the end of everything you know and love. Ever hear of Dahak the Dark One? You know what a Destroyer is? I've got no patience for a dumb, naïve girl who can't tell when she's in over her head. This is your last chance. I won't tell you again. Move."

The stranger stood up slowly, fixing Xena with quizzical yet deadly serious eyes. "So it's the Destroyer you're after? You thought that Mendi…" Suddenly she put her face in her empty hand, which was now covered in blood from her wounded forearm. She began to shake. Xena realized, with an uneasy sensation in the pit of her stomach, that her opponent was laughing. The exceedingly disturbing laughter, which sounded like a lunatic's, got increasingly louder until at last the girl threw her head back in a howl of insane mirth. When Xena looked closely at the now blood-streaked face she noticed in horror that the young woman's canine teeth were much longer and sharper than they ought to have been.

The Warrior Princess gripped her sword more tightly now. "What are you?" she hissed. "Answer me!"

Her adversary snapped her head back down to look Xena full in the face. There was no trace of fear in the savage eyes. "Well, come on! You wanted to kill the Destroyer, didn't ya? I'm right here, ripe for th' takin! Come an' get me!"


	4. Meet Tira Darkheart

Xena couldn't believe her ears. She had expected a beastly Destroyer, similar to the one that Hope and Ares had created. But this was someone who, despite her erratic behavior, seemed all too human. _I can't spill young blood without a reason. I have to be sure._ "I'm only going to ask you this one time. Are you telling me that you, not this thing but you, are the Destroyer? The Daughter of Dahak's child?"

"What are ya, stupid?" came the defiant reply. "That's what I just said, isn't it? You've crashed in here, invaded MY home and attacked MY brother, and you say you won't be satisfied until I'm dead, so let's go! Shut your trap and fight!"

Before the young woman could completely finish her challenge, a swordpoint was thrust directly towards her heart. She parried it easily. "There we go, that's what you wanted isn't it! Come on! Kill me!" With her empty hand she tossed her own blood into Xena's face, temporarily blinding her, then threw her forehead towards the bridge of her would-be killer's nose. Xena sensed the attack despite her inability to see clearly and dodged, but the headbutt glanced off of her cheek where Mendi had already slapped her before, rattling her.

The warrior took a step back, collecting herself. _This is nothing like what I expected. The Destroyer I fought last time was a mindless brute. It was a powerful, dangerous enemy, but it had little more than animal cunning in battle and mostly relied on my inability to hurt it for protection. But this one is clever, almost like a person. And its behavior makes no sense. Why should a Destroyer protect anything? Why isn't it attacking me more aggressively?_ Xena shook the thoughts from her head. _I can sort everything out later, when it's dead._ "Since you asked me so nicely," Xena retorted. In a flash Xena dropped to the ground and swept out with her foot, tripping the Destroyer. Before Xena could attack again the cat was on her. She brought up her sword to strike it down only to have to change the sword's course at the last moment to parry the oversized knife, which had been flung directly at her face. In her moment of distraction Mendi broke from her and returned to his companion's side. Xena saw where the knife landed, a few paces to the side of their battle. The Destroyer showed no intention of retrieving it.

"Oh, that old thing?" the Destroyer growled. "I don't need it. I can take you out with my bare hands."

"That blood trick is only going to work once," Xena shot back, buying time. She was planning on ending the battle with the next blow. The experienced warrior was just looking for an opening.

"You think that's all I got? You're letting me down here, Xena."

The tall woman cocked an eyebrow. This was unexpected. "You know who I am?"

"Please. Who else traipses around with a chakram? You've got to be living under a rock not to have heard of the Warrior Princess."

"I assumed that's where you'd crawled from."

"Very funny. You talk down to me, yet it wasn't too long ago some called you the Destroyer too. Or did you forget your past so soon?"

"We are NOTHING alike," Xena sneered.

"Yeah, I see that now," the Destroyer spat, with obvious disdain. "You're just like the rest of 'em."

"Xena, STOP!" Hearing a familiar voice, the warrior dared a quick flick of her eyes in its direction. She saw Gabrielle charging full bore over the ridge, coming straight towards them.

"Get out of here, it's too dangerous!" Xena called back, watching for the slightest hint of movement from her opponents.

The Destroyer sighed, turning to watch Gabrielle's approach. "Deus ex machina. How disappointing. I was lookin' forward to seeing how this would play out. Takin' down the Warrior Princess would have been an ego-stroke." She returned her focus to Xena. "S'all over. Don't be an idiot. Listen to your precious Gabrielle." As if the fight had never occurred, the Destroyer casually walked over to collect her knife. Mendi, too, seemed to lose interest, though he never took his watchful eyes off of Xena.

Xena was nonplussed. _Can this get any stranger? Knowing me is one thing, but she recognized Gabrielle, too! Something is going on here, and I don't like it one bit. That thing seems to be letting its guard down for some reason. I could take it out right now._ Before Xena had the chance to make that call she felt Gabrielle beside her.

"Xena, you have to stop! Listen, I know her. I know this girl. I don't understand what happened here, but she's not our target." Gabrielle's face went pale when she saw the massive cat clearly for the first time. "Or is that…"

The Destroyer seemed amused by Gabrielle's confusion. "It's just not your day, is it Mendi? Careful, she'll hit you with her little stick." The young woman picked up her weapon and began to examine it. When she realized the two adventurers were still staring at her, motionless, she waved them off impatiently. "Well go on, go get your chakram out of the tree and figure out if ya still wanna kill me. I'll be right here."

_I must be losing my mind, turning my back on it, _Xena admonished herself as she ran up to another tree, did a backflip off of its trunk, and grabbed her chakram from where it had stuck. She fingered it nervously, still tempted to send it right back in the Destroyer's direction.

"Put it down, Xena. We have to figure this out. Where's the Destroyer?"

"Right over there. That thing you just called a girl. It's the Destroyer. Not the cat. I've no idea what's going on with the cat. But that monster has teeth and it can fight. Don't let your guard down for an instant."

"She can't be the Destroyer. She – she bought me a drink in a tavern a few weeks back. Called herself Tira Darkheart. She was a little gruff but she wasn't bothering anybody. I didn't see the cat."

"Is that true?" Xena called over to the wild woman, who now crouched next to her companion, scratching his ears. "You talked to Gabrielle in a tavern?"

"Sure. She was depressed as hell. But I just sent her a drink. She was the one wanted to run her mouth."

"Tira Darkheart, tell Xena you're not the Destroyer and this will all be cleared up. We know it's in these woods. Maybe you've seen it."

The woman known as "Tira Darkheart" looked down at herself briefly, then shrugged at Gabrielle. "Yup. Right here. The Destroyer. Gonna start trying to kill me yet? Make up your mind. I'd like to figure out how much longer I gotta drip blood everywhere."

"You're really the Destroyer?" Gabrielle couldn't believe her ears. "But you – you look so human!"

"She's not," Xena snapped.

The Destroyer was unaffected by this revelation. "You say that like it's a bad thing, Xena. Why should I want to be human? Look at yourselves. Look at what you do. Crash in here, try to kill my brother, make a scene over nothin'. Pathetic."

Gabrielle leaned on Xena for support, feeling her legs shake under her. She struggled to keep calm. "Xena, none of this makes any sense to me, but whoever she is, she's not attacking us. It's not right to keep going after someone who's showing no aggression. She's hurt and she needs to have it treated. Even if she is the Destroyer, she's acting nothing like Hope's child. There's more going on here than we understand yet. We should try talking it out first. She's clearly intelligent."

With extreme reluctance, Xena put her chakram away and sheathed her sword. She took a few steps towards the Destroyer and Mendi. "You listen up, and you listen good. This truce is temporary and it has terms. You understand terms?"

The wild woman stood defiantly. "I'm not a moron."

"Fine. Here are the terms. You don't so much as think of threatening me or Gabrielle in any way, or I run you through. That knife stays in the sheath, or I run you through. You keep that animal under control, or I run HIM through. And most importantly, you do not leave my sight until we get this figured out. You got that, Tira?"

"It's Tira Darkheart. It's a title. You say the whole thing each –"

"I asked you a question. Yes or no. Those are your choices."

The Destroyer rolled her eyes. "Fine. Whatever." The woman walked over to an old, worn tree stump and sat down. Mendi curled up cautiously near her leg. "This count as 'in your sight', Xena?" she said mockingly.

"It'll do." Xena motioned Gabrielle over to a nearby group of trees to confer, still watching her adversary like a hawk. "Gabrielle, I don't like this one bit. It's admitted to being descended from Dahak. There shouldn't be any question as to what we do now. It has to die."

"Are you sure she's really the Destroyer? I mean, I know she said that, but she's really strange. Maybe she's just playing a game? Maybe she doesn't understand?"

"I considered that. But it knew exactly what I was talking about and didn't hesitate to identify itself. It was putting up a pretty good fight back there, enough to beat even a strong warrior. And you didn't see the teeth. It's got teeth every bit as nasty as the cat's. I think it stalked me all the way from the stream back there, and I couldn't find it in the trees."

"But she didn't attack you all that time? What started all this?"

"I found the cat. Assumed it was the Destroyer and tried to chakram it. Out of nowhere that thing showed up and blocked it."

"She blocked your chakram? That must be how she got wounded."

"Yes. I couldn't get another shot on it. It's that good."

"Xena, would you please acknowledge the possibility, even for a moment, that this is a person? She may be the Destroyer or she may not be, but we have to try to figure out what's going on here. We can't just give her a death sentence when there's obviously so much we don't know."

Xena's jaw tightened. A part of her felt like this was the argument over Hope all over again, but she forced herself to squelch that thought. _Gabrielle nearly died to try and kill Hope. Things are different now._ "We'll try it your way, for now."


	5. Parlay

It was agreed that the mistrustful foursome would return to the edge of the woods, where Xena and Gabrielle would find a sheltered spot to make camp. Gabrielle led the way, retracing their search path from earlier in a more direct fashion, followed reluctantly by the cat creature Mendi, the woman known as Tira Darkheart, and lastly a vigilant Warrior Princess. When they reached the treeline where the tall grasses began, Xena let out a loud, piercing whistle that caused Mendi to snarl and the Destroyer to clap her hands over her ears, wincing. "You coulda warned someone," she snapped.

"Poor baby," the warrior purred, scanning the landscape for Argo. It wasn't long until the palomino mare appeared, galloping onto the scene but pulling up short when she spotted Mendi. Xena was forced to grab the reins and soothe her faithful mount. For his part, Mendi's fur stood on end and he watched Argo carefully.

"I don't like the way your cat's looking at my horse," said Xena.

"He doesn't like the way your horse is looking at him. I can tell him to mellow, but he may not listen."

"Tell? You mean you can talk to the cat?" Gabrielle asked, astonished.

"Sure. I do all the time." The Destroyer turned to her feline companion and spoke to him in a language that Gabrielle could not make out but stirred old memories in Xena. The bard was about to ask if the animal understood when she heard him reply just as clearly as if he had been human, his voice roughly approximating the quality of an adolescent boy.

"That's incredible! What is he?"

"We'll camp in that bare patch near the stream," Xena interjected, giving Gabrielle a 'don't get too friendly' glare.

"Not sure. Some kind of oversized bobcat I guess. There are legends about this kind o' critter where I'm from. Folks call 'em 'Weegies' but I might be the first to ever really see one, and certainly the first to keep one."

"Gabrielle, start unpacking the saddlebags," Xena ordered.

Gabrielle couldn't stop herself from asking questions, however. "Could…could he speak to us?"

The Destroyer sat on a large, smooth rock and began to remove her damaged bracer. Blood poured afresh from her wounded forearm. "Shit. And nah, not really. He doesn't know much Greek. Tried ta teach him, but I think one tongue's his limit. He knows a couple 'o things though. Some Greek, Mendi?"

"Fuck off," the cat growled in a thick accent. The Warrior Princess rolled her eyes, unimpressed.

The Destroyer grinned through her pain. "I made sure ta teach him the important stuff first."

"I thought you said you didn't have any friends, at the tavern."

"I'm pretty sure he wasn't what you meant. Besides, he's more like a brother than anything. I raised him. That's why I don't appreciate people trying to hurt him, XENA." The young woman peered around Gabrielle to spit the end of her sentence directly at the tall warrior.

"He seems to be able to take care of himself pretty well," said Xena, rubbing the shallow claw wounds on her scalp.

"Xena, are you hurt?" Gabrielle began to remove the medical supplies from Argo's saddlebags. "Sit." The bard directed her best friend to perch on a half-buried log next to the water's edge.

"My turn to ask some questions," Xena barked at the Destroyer as Gabrielle began to tend the warrior's injuries in her practiced yet gentle manner. "Where are you from?" she asked in the same tongue in which the young woman had addressed her cat.

"Not bad," the brown-haired woman replied in that language, wincing as she started to pick metal fragments out of her flesh with dirt-caked fingernails. "I could understand you, barely."

"Xena? Where did you learn to talk like that?" asked Gabrielle.

"I remembered who else had an accent like that, and I learned a few words from him here and there in his old tongue. It's how Borias sounded, with a different inflection. It's the language of the steppes. It's not so different from how the Siberian Amazons talk, either." She turned her attention back to the Destroyer. "So you learned to talk on the steppes."

"Not so far east as you're thinkin'. Walk straight north from here, for about a month. You'd get there. That's where I was born."

"Well, caught you in your first lie. Your grandmother's name was Telacyne. No one up there has a name like that."

"How'd you know – forget it, I don't care. But so what if that's not a Northern name? My mother wasn't from there either, but I was raised by my father."

"Some backwater forest god, I take it?"

"This'd go a lot smoother if you'd knock off the insults, Xena. I never said I wanted to talk and I'm only doin' this so you'll leave me alone faster. Is it so hard to believe my father was human?"

Xena arched an eyebrow and Gabrielle looked up from her work. "Your father was human?" the blonde asked. "That would explain why you don't look like…well…the other one."

It was the wild woman's turn to be surprised. "Other one? There's another Destroyer? Where?"

"Dead," Xena answered in a manner that made it obvious who was responsible.

"So you never knew? Never knew there was another one like you?" Gabrielle asked cautiously. _I don't think she knows anything about Hope._

For the first time since the fight the Destroyer dropped her flippant attitude and seemed genuinely affected. "No, I…but I had a half-brother or sister? Impossible. I'm Mother's only child."

"No, you didn't. It's –"

"I'm asking the questions here," Xena snapped, her hand going to Gabrielle's hand protectively in the guise of showing her where there was another wound in her hair.

The Destroyer was not fooled. She heard the obvious pain in Gabrielle's voice when she spoke but decided to let it go. She could find out later. "No, wait. I need to know somethin'. What – what was he like?"

Xena's icy eyes fixed the young woman's smoldering ones in a level gaze. "It was a disgusting, gray beast covered with razor spines. It was a mindless killer, a brute. Nothing more."

The brown-haired woman cocked her head in understanding. "That's why you thought it was Mendi. You didn't expect a human-looking Destroyer." She turned her attention to the disquieted Gabrielle. "Xena's right about me. Despite what I look like, I ain't human. You shouldn't act like I am." She lowered her arm down to her companion, who began to lick the edges of her wound gingerly. "Kinda a curious thing, to be at once more and less than human."

"Spare us the philosophy. Bottom line is this. What do you know about being the Destroyer?"

She let out a disturbing cackle. "You ask the dumbest questions. What do I know about myself? Everything, that's what. Think I haven't heard all about what I am? First word I learned, 'bout fifteen years ago, may have been 'abomination'."

"Fifteen years? You age normally?" Xena demanded. _I hate to even consider this, but Gabrielle may be right. She's not exactly human, but she's nothing like Hope's monster. We need more information, but not from her. I don't trust this Tira Darkheart as far as I can throw her, and I'm afraid Gabrielle's kindhearted nature might blind her in this case. She would love to believe that anyone could find redemption, even a creature born to kill. Dammit, even I might like to believe that. But it doesn't mean I do._

"What, did this other Destroyer just sprout up like a weed or somethin'? Hey look, what you're tellin' me about it is as strange to me as I must seem to you. I only know what my life has been like."

"Tell me about that. Your life, I mean." Xena's voice had softened in spite of herself. "Thanks, Gabrielle," she added as the bard finished caring for the warrior's wounds and went to wash her hands and face in the stream.

"No way. Listen, I haven't had to yap this much in a year. I'm gettin' tired of it. Pick somethin' specific. I'll answer that and then you leave me be for awhile."

"Fine. Tell me about this human father of yours."

The Destroyer pulled her arm away from her cat and whistled softly. "Ah yeah, Daddy dearest. Wanna know about the old man, huh? Well first off, he didn't want a kid, but he was stuck with me. I think he kept hopin' Mother would come back to him. Maybe she told him that. I don't know. Kind of a mean bastard, really, but he kept me fed and didn't let anyone kill me. He was a woodsman by trade."

"What happened to him?"

"Tree crushed him."

"Someone who chopped trees all his life got crushed by one?"

"The tree had help," the wild woman replied, eyes burning.

"Murder, then."

"Sick of talking. Done now." She looked at her arm and let out an exasperated sigh. "Still bleeding. Great."

Xena didn't object to their conversation ending so abruptly. She could feel a headache coming on and needed time to think about everything that had just happened. She stood up and began to pace around the clearing nervously, unwilling to let her eyes stray from the wild one for too long.

Gabrielle watched as their unwilling guest picked at the wound her best friend had caused. _She put herself in the way of a chakram to protect her cat. She may be born of the daughter of Dahak, but she's clearly capable of caring about living things. The other Destroyer couldn't. If I'm honest with myself, I know Hope couldn't either. She doesn't like Xena at all, and barely tolerates me, but she's shown remarkable restraint. We owe her some kind of benefit of the doubt._ "Tira Darkheart? Why don't you let me take a look at that? You need to be treated."

The Destroyer pulled her arm away from Gabrielle and snarled. "No. Stay back. You can't touch me. I don't like to be touched."

"But you have to stop that bleeding –"

"I said no one touches me," she growled menacingly. Xena watched the interaction closely, ready to jump in at the slightest sign of danger to Gabrielle. The bard held her ground.

"Then I promise I won't. What do you want? Is there something I can give you?"

"Needle and thread. I'll fix myself up." The brown-haired girl visibly relaxed when Gabrielle moved away. When she returned, the bard opened her hand in front of her to offer the supplies rather than shoving her arm into the other woman's space. "Thanks," the Destroyer said as she grabbed the items and went to work on her arm. When Gabrielle stayed where she was the wild young woman looked up impatiently. "What?"

"It really would be better if you let someone else do it. If you don't keep steady it'll leave a bigger scar, and it's hard to stay still while you're stabbing yourself with a needle."

"It's fine," she sighed. _Gods she's annoying, but she means well anyhow. Gotta give her credit for trying._ "Look, I heal real fast. Tomorrow this will have closed. Two days from now it'll only be a scar. Three days and there won't be a trace. Besides, I'm not stupid. Done this a hundred times before. People make a hobby of takin' a piece of my hide, it seems."

Gabrielle hesitated before she found the courage to ask the question foremost in her mind. "But you haven't killed anyone, have you?"


	6. Enough is Too Much

The Destroyer gave Gabrielle a very strange look. She began to laugh softly, then allowed it to rise to a cackle. The girl's laughter was cold and mirthless. Gabrielle felt sick. Xena instinctively ran back to the bard's side, her hand going to her chakram. Even a small distance away from the campsite, Argo began to hoof the ground, unsettled. Only the cat seemed not to care about the maniacal display. No one noticed as he gently pressed his face to his companion's leg. Before answering, the Destroyer paused to bite through the twine she was using to stitch up her wound, deliberately flashing her pointed canines at Gabrielle. Then she opened her mouth to speak. Her brown mane of hair fell down over her face, obscuring her eyes and half of her nose. "Sure I have. I've killed plenty of times. It's easy to kill people. And you know what else? It's a lotta FUN." She looked up and stared directly past Gabrielle at the Warrior Princess, her lip curling into a defiant and contemptuous smirk. "Isn't that what you wanna hear about, Xena? How much I love to kill?"

"That's enough," Xena commanded.

Gabrielle hoped that perhaps the girl she knew as Tira Darkheart didn't understand how serious her situation was. "You're playing a game, aren't you? Listen, it's not funny. You don't want to push Xena, or me for that matter. Come on, be serious for a moment, Tira Darkheart. You can't be a killer, right?" Gabrielle could not keep the hint of pleading from her eyes, and the Destroyer saw it. "You're so young."

The smile vanished from the young woman's face. She sighed. "Gabrielle. I've been on my own for over five years now. And people know what I am. I'm still alive. You figure it out." Mendi pressed his cheek harder into her leg and rubbed against her once or twice. She could feel his whiskers poke into her flesh and she scratched the scruff of his neck.

Gabrielle was amazed that Mendi seemed to understand enough of the conversation to be disturbed by what was being said and need reassurance from his handler, but just before the Destroyer let her hair fall down over her face again she saw the shadow that had passed over the young woman's striking features. _That look – she tried to hide it, but I saw the sadness there. She's not comforting the cat. It's the other way around. Is it that she knows she's just given herself a death sentence in Xena's eyes? If she knows that, why isn't she attacking or at least trying to get away?_

The tall, dark warrior knew what she had to do. The Destroyer had to die. She slowly slid her chakram from its resting place at her hip. She told herself that she was just being subtle. If she didn't take the Destroyer completely by surprise she might be too strong to overpower without serious risk to herself and her best friend. Still, she felt hesitation in her movements. _Why is this so hard? It's a monster. It said so itself. It may not be aggressive right now, for whatever reason, but I can't afford to wait around until that changes. And yet – something's not right. Something's desperately wrong with this whole situation. What am I missing?_ One answer to that question struck Xena immediately. Understanding hit her like a bucket of cold water in midwinter. They were being watched. Everything unfolding in that moment was under surveillance, and she knew the source exactly. She forced herself to take her hand off of her chakram. Because Gabrielle was obscuring her view, she did not see the Destroyer take the hand that was not petting Mendi away from the hilt of her fearsome blade at the same time.

The bard, who had been lost in her thoughts, snapped back to reality when she sensed that something critical had just happened between her friend and the wild woman. She couldn't say how she knew, but she could usually feel Xena's emotions on an intuitive level simply by being near her. She turned to the warrior standing slightly behind her. "Xena?"

The Warrior Princess's mouth had gone dry. Her ice-blue eyes wandered back to the treeline. "There's something I have to do."

The Destroyer appeared momentarily puzzled by Xena's reaction until she, too, detected the presence nearby. She looked over her shoulder at the woods and turned back to the duo with an amused look. "Well, go on then. No one's stoppin' you."

"Nice try. No way in Hades am I leaving you here alone with Gabrielle. You're coming with me."

"I don't think so, Xena. This is your problem to deal with."

Xena grit her teeth. _She knows more than she's letting on._ "We both know I don't trust you and I am flat out of patience today. You're coming one way or another."

"I told you I'm not." The Destroyer brushed her hair back out of her face and scratched her head, thinking. She cast an uncertain glance at her "brother", then to Xena, then to the animal again. _I don't need any more shit today. But I have to placate her somehow._ "Take Mendi with you."

Xena raised her chin in understanding. "He'll behave?"

"If you do. But know this. Anythin' happens to Mendi, I'll take it out on Gabrielle."

"Anything happens to Gabrielle and I'll have a new fur cape."

The Destroyer stiffened at the suggestion of harm to her friend but stayed in control. "Deal. But I have to explain it to him." _I hope that Borias or whatever his name was didn't teach her too much of our language._ "Mendi, go with Xena for now. I have to stay here," she whispered into the cat's ear, as quickly as she could while making sure he could understand. "It's really important. I'm counting on you."

"Forget it! She tried to kill me! Besides, I won't leave you alone with people now. You're hurt," the cat creature protested loudly, surprising both Xena and Gabrielle. The last thing they expected was to see an argument between the young woman and her cat.

"C'mon, pal. You know I'd never force you to do anything but I need this from you right now. Please. Go with Xena and when you come back tell me everything that happened, all right? I think I know what this is about, but I wanna be sure. She won't dare hurt you while I have the blonde alone." She gave her friend a comforting stroke, then nudged him towards the Warrior Princess.

_Gods, I hope this will be all right._ "Fine, let's go, cat." Xena flicked her hand impatiently towards the woods.

"You don't tell me, girldog," the cat snarled in garbled language, angry eyes on the warrior.

"He meant bitch," his friend offered in mock-helpfulness.

"Oh, but you'll do what SHE says," Xena spat back, in disbelief that she was trying to reason with a giant cat.

"She only asks," Mendi growled, backing towards his friend.

"Just start, Xena. He'll go." Not knowing what else she could do, Xena sprinted for the trees. When she was a short distance away, Mendi rubbed against the wild woman one more time before running after the warrior. As they disappeared into the trees, the brunette stood up from her rock bench, looking after them. "Thanks bro." Hardly acknowledging Gabrielle's existence, she walked over to a skittish Argo. The palomino mare huffed, lowering her head in a warning. "Oh, calm down."

"I wouldn't do that." Gabrielle, too, had risen from where she knelt and retrieved her staff. She was not at all comfortable being alone with the Destroyer. She knew Xena would not put her at unnecessary risk and that whatever she had run off to do had to be important, but something about the young woman was terrifying on a visceral level. She wished she hadn't seen those teeth. The last thing the bard wanted right now was to be unarmed.

"You're mouthy for a hostage," came the dismissive reply. The Destroyer was still trying to get close to Argo, who continued to back away warily.

"I'm serious. She doesn't like anyone but Xena. She barely put up with me for the first couple years we were together."

"Maybe you annoyed her. You're annoying me." The Destroyer deftly grabbed one of the saddlebags from Argo, dodged a kick the irate horse aimed at her head, and promptly interposed Gabrielle between them, forcing the bard to take on the unpleasant task of calming the horse.

As Gabrielle struggled to get Argo to settle down, thinking she was not at all a good person for the job, she snapped her head towards her "captor". "The feeling is mutual. You know, I don't understand you. You know that you're viewed as a threat, as dangerous, yet you go out of your way to antagonize everyone. If you really care about yourself and your friend why don't you try to live peacefully?"

"Ah, y'mean live scared? I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees." The Destroyer plopped back down onto the large rock and began to rummage through the saddlebag.

"Those aren't the only two options," Gabrielle retorted as she patted Argo's neck. "What do you think you're doing in there, anyhow? Those are our – oh." The blonde saw that the wild woman had pulled several rags from the saddlebag, leaving the rest of the contents alone. She began wrapping them tightly around her injured arm. "See, this is exactly what I'm talking about. If you'd just asked for what you wanted I would have given you a bandage and it wouldn't have spooked Argo."

"Argo should learn not to spook so easily."

Gabrielle watched, befuddled, as intense brown eyes looked sidelong at the saddlebag, then away, then back again. She started to ask what was wrong when she saw that one of her scrolls was poking out of the bag. "That's a scroll."

"I'm not stupid!" the Destroyer snapped in reply, a little too quickly.

The blonde skipped backwards defensively, the anger behind the words striking her almost like a blow. She gripped her staff tightly. _Why am I so nervous? She didn't even move. She yelled at me. That's all._ "I didn't say you were. But I'm sorry you took it that way."

"Better be." Several uncomfortable moments passed. Gabrielle leaned heavily on her staff, feeling physically and emotionally drained by everything that was going on. The other woman continued to fidget. Her eyes flicked to the scroll in the bag repeatedly. She also began to run her fingers through her massive tangle of hair. She seemed agitated. "You, ah – you…" The young woman pushed her hair back away from her face with both hands, closing her eyes and putting her head back. "You wanna, um, you wanna do the bard thing?"

_You're kidding. What's next? Zeus falls from the sky and does a dance for us in a pretty pink tunic? At this point I'm ready to believe that._ "You've heard about me being a bard?"

"Ah, I knew it when we met in the tavern. I didn't see your scrolls 'til you were leavin' already, and then I figured you were THAT Gabrielle, The Bard of Potedaia."

"Just how long have you been in Greece?"

"Long enough. But I'd heard some tales even far away from here. Apparently you two get around."

Gabrielle laughed in spite of herself. The situation was so absurd that she simply lacked the energy to be upset anymore. "I guess a lot has happened to us these past few years. So you really want me to tell a story? I mean, I can." Gabrielle cleared her throat and used what she called her 'public' voice. "I sing of Xena, the Warrior Princess…"

"No, no, no. Not like that. You're doing it wrong."

"What – what do you mean? That's how I start a tale."

"Yeah, but don't tell it. Read it. You know, from the scroll."

"Oh," Gabrielle said quietly. "I, uh, I'll have to come over and get one. Is that all right with you?"

"Sure, whatever. Just read." To the bard's amazement, the Destroyer moved over, creating a space between her and the bag containing the scrolls. "You sit here."

_I can't believe I'm really going to do this, but I guess if she wanted to hurt me she would have already. How can I ask Xena to show some patience and trust if I'm not willing to?_ The blonde woman obeyed and situated herself carefully on the rock beside the bag of scrolls, taking great pains not to touch her "captor" even by accident. The Destroyer did not flinch at the proximity as she did before. In fact, she was tapping her feet on the ground anxiously. "Is there a particular kind of story you like?"

"Fighting."

"Well, I mean, a lot of these stories have fighting. They are about Xena after all."

"Fighting," the Destroyer repeated. She stopped fidgeting for a moment and considered her options more carefully. "Fighting gods. Yeah. A story about fighting gods."

Gabrielle gulped. "I have to admit it's a little scary hearing that come from you."

"Hey, it's not my fault they won't leave me alone!" the young woman snarled in reply. She immediately looked down, seeming contrite. "Forget it. Sorry. Read."

_Weirder and weirder, this one. Guess there's nothing to do but read. I hope Xena comes back soon, but there's no sign of her._ The bard unrolled one of the scrolls and nodded as she looked over the first few lines. "All right. You, in particular, might like this one. It seems to fit, somehow. Ready?" The brown-haired one nodded. "Good. It's called 'The Furies'. Here we go. 'I love the smell of warrior sweat in the morning,' the Warrior Princess declared as she sniffed under her arms. She had just dispatched a small squad of thugs without a problem, but her companion, Gabrielle, was disturbed by her friend's strange behavior. She could tell something wasn't – what?" The young woman was looking over her shoulder. Gabrielle thought she had seen her lips moving, but when she met the smoldering brown eyes all she got was a blank stare. "Are you all right? Is this story what you wanted?"

"Yeah, s'good. More."

"Right, sorry. She could tell something wasn't right with her dear friend. Xena had begun spinning her trusty chakram on the tip of one finger, which, while impressive, was hardly typical…"

"…of the stern, serious warrior." The Destroyer finished the sentence quietly along with Gabrielle.

The bard turned to her in shock. "By the gods, you're reading this. You read."

"Yeah. I read. I –" The other woman flicked her brown eyes down and away. "I like it. I like reading a lot. I can't do it often, so I thought – ah, whatever. Sorry. Go."

"No. No, you're sitting here and you're reading my scroll in a language you didn't even grow up with. What else can you read?"

"Greek for now. Most good things to read are in Greek anyway. I've thought of learning Latin next, but Romans are being stupid right now. So maybe later on."

Gabrielle cautiously handed her scroll over. "I want you to read this yourself."

"But it's yours."

"Please. I know how it sounds to me. I want to hear you read it."

"I guess I can." The wild woman snatched the scroll from Gabrielle's hand roughly but without damaging it. She unrolled it more, scanning the page. _No, no, too slow, no not there, oh. Damn. This is intense, right here._ She began to read – softly, almost self-consciously, at first, but more confidently as she went on. "'Don't you see? The women and children! They've crucified the women and children!' the Warrior Princess cried out angrily to the night sky. The cold wind whipped at her naked body, tossing her hair against the sword she brandished in the crowd's direction. The bard, her heart breaking to see her best friend in such a state, told Xena gently that these were all women and children, and that they were scared of her. A look of terror and remorse replaced the rage on the tormented woman's face. 'I'm sorry,' she whispered." She stopped reading abruptly and rolled the scroll up carefully, laying it on Gabrielle's lap. "Huh. So Xena knows a thing or two about persecution and madness herself."

"Tira Darkheart, that was – honestly I don't even know what to say. Sometimes when you talk you're a little unsteady, but you read that with a bard's conviction. You really did. You could do what I do if you wanted."

"No. I couldn't." Brown-black eyes stared wistfully towards the stream, reflecting a tranquility only to be found on the outside.

"I have to ask, can you write as well?"

"Yeah. Obviously."

"Show me." Gabrielle handed the Destroyer a scroll with blank space still left. She found her quill and dipped it in the ink bottle, then offered it to the one sitting beside her. "Write something here. Anything you want."

She scratched her head again, biting her lower lip, and took the quill. She began to scrawl something in the middle of the blank space. Gabrielle looked over as she worked, amazed at what she saw. _Call me Tira Darkheart. You say the whole thing each time._ The young woman paused, then wrote another line. _The purpose of life is to get what you want. What I want is to be left alone. Everyone just leave me alone._ She looked over and saw Gabrielle's reaction beside her. The look in the bard's eyes was a little too close to pity for her tastes. She shifted her eyes back to the scroll and scribbled one more line, then dumped both scroll and quill into the blonde's lap and stood abruptly.

_What's wrong, Gabrielle? A little too human for you? Me too. I'm done._


	7. Cat Report

"And you're sure they can't understand us?" Mendi asked between licks as he cleaned his fur thoroughly. The great cat lifted up one of his legs and began to clean the area beneath his tail.

"You know, it's really hard to take you seriously while you're doing that. Xena might be able to pick up a word here or there, but it's not important. Look at them, anyway. I think they have a lot more on their mind than listening to us."

Xena had returned with Mendi several hours ago. She was extremely relieved to find Gabrielle none the worse for wear, but she now had even more to weigh on her mind and saw a similar expression in her best friend's light blue eyes. The adventurers were near the limits of mental exhaustion, each taking a different point of view on one of the biggest challenges they'd ever had to face, even after four years of being together. It was in this sullen atmosphere that the two women cooked their dinner over the fire, and that their unwanted guest finally got the chance to confer with her friend about what he had seen while with Xena. They conversed easily in their native language.

"Well, he was definitely there. She didn't walk far into the woods before he appeared near us. Both of them seemed angry. It was hard for me to understand all of what they were saying, and he wasn't happy at all to see me there. He probably knew I would be able to hear what they said so he talked fast and said a lot of things I couldn't make out."

"That's all right, bro. You did well. Could you pick up much of what was said?"

Mendi finished cleaning himself and curled affectionately around the only family he'd ever known. They were seated by the stream, away from where Xena and Gabrielle were cooking. "Some. She sounded like she was mad that he hadn't told her things. Then he was mad she didn't do something for him. I can't be sure but I think the thing she was supposed to do was kill you. There was a lot of shouting and she said something about 'never get your hands dirty' and 'playing head games'." The Destroyer nodded. Her cat was repeating back certain phrases he didn't understand exactly the way he had heard them in Greek, and she was able to put the pieces together. "Oh yeah, and then I think she called him a coward, which made him shut up. She said something like 'walking Hind's blood dagger' and 'can't hide behind immortality' and that was when he disappeared again. Then she spit on the spot he had been in and said some mean-sounding words to me and after that we came back. I was really happy to come back. I wanted to be with you, not her."

"Interesting. It's all making more sense to me now. I bet he's having fits, not being able to get me or Xena to do what he wants. Gods aren't used to trying hard for what they want. I don't feel bad for him, though. I think it's hilarious. The question is now, what will Xena do?"

"Why are you so worried about what the dark angry human will do?" Mendi asked, closing his eyes and stretching. "It's not important, is it?"

A wry grin appeared on the Destroyer's face. "She's deciding whether to kill me or not. That's why."

The massive cat shot to his feet again and hissed loudly. "Well if she maybe wants to kill you why are we still here? You kill her first! We can take her out together. I'll help you. We can beat anybody."

The woman shook her head slowly, letting her unkempt brown hair fall back over her face. "No, I want to see what she does on her own."

"But why? I don't want her to hurt you! No one's allowed to hurt you! Can't you beat her if we work together?"

"Shit, I could beat her alone. Look Mendi, I'm not sure I can really explain what I'm doing to you in a way that will make sense. Just trust me, all right? I won't make you stay with me if you're worried about the humans, but I'll be fine. I can handle it on my own."

"No. You know I stay with you no matter what, unless you ask me to go somewhere else. I do trust you. You're the only thing that's important to me. I'm still important to you, right? You're not thinking about giving up on things again, are you? I don't like when you get that way. Sometimes it makes you let people hurt you."

She gathered her "brother" up in her arms and held him, eliciting a deep purr. "No, I'm not giving up. I'm sort of doing the opposite. Like I said, I don't think I can really explain it to you."

"Try. Please?"

The young woman sighed. "Right. So, we don't like people really. And mostly I just want all the people to go away, and let us do what we want, and leave us alone. But sometimes I look at what people do, and what they have, and I think that maybe I want some of those things for myself. When lots of humans get together and make things, those things can last a long time and create a lot of good in the world. Sometimes I start to wonder if maybe I could build things that last too. Not things you can see and touch, so much, as things you can think. That's why I like the papers with marks on them. I know you don't understand that either."

"But what does this have to do with those two over there? They're bad, right? They want to hurt us."

"They do want to hurt us. But I'm not sure that they're bad. This is another part you may not understand. I've heard of these two humans before. They are trying to build something too. They want to build a world where it's safe to be good. Right now it's not safe to be good, and maybe that's why the humans are so bad. Maybe it's why I'm bad. I don't know. I guess I'm trying to see if I can build thoughts in them. I want to let them make the choice whether to be enemies with us. And maybe, just maybe, I'm testing a little bit whether it's safe to be good sometimes, with some people."

The cat shook his head as if something was biting him. "Too complicated."

"I'm sorry. I tried to put it in terms you could handle."

"Still can't understand. Seems too dangerous. Tell me one thing, at least. If they do decide to be enemies, then what will you decide?"

The Destroyer's face darkened. "I'll kill Xena, and maybe Gabrielle too."

"Good. I feel better now. Is it safe for me to sleep for awhile? I'm so tired."

"Of course, Mendi. Go find a good spot. I'll protect you, like always."

"And when you sleep, I'll protect you."

"Thanks, brother." She pulled the cat close again and stroked his fur. "You don't know how much that means. You're all I could ever ask for." She knew in her heart, however, that wasn't completely true.

"Tira Darkheart!" Gabrielle called from across the campsite. "You should eat something."

"I guess that depends. Xena, what have you got to say about that?"

The Warrior Princess shot a glare towards the Destroyer, her mouth full of fried roots and shoots. After she swallowed she yelled back, "There might be enough for you to have some scraps."

"What are you having?"

"Just some vegetables," Gabrielle replied. "Why don't you come over here so we don't have to shout?"

"Vegetables aren't enough. I need meat."

"We're out of meat, you ungrateful little –" Xena started, then cut herself off. She felt her blood run cold when she realized she couldn't see where the wild woman had gone. "Gabrielle, get ready," she whispered. "She's disappeared."

There was a loud THUNK sound somewhere in the tall grass to their right, and the brown-haired huntress came back nonchalantly with a dead rabbit. "Well, I had to. If you could see me, so could the rabbit." The young woman's oversized blade was dripping with the small animal's blood.

"What did I tell you about keeping that thing put away?" Xena mumbled without much conviction. She didn't feel like fighting about much at the moment.

"So you don't want any? Too bad. Enjoy your plain vegetables. Ick." She began to skin and clean the rabbit, throwing the edible chunks onto the frying pan that still rested on the smoldering campfire. "What about you, Gabrielle? Or do you also like stubborn vegetables?" She smirked and 'corrected' herself. "I'm sorry, plain vegetables."

"I appreciate the offer, Tira Darkheart, but I'm actually not that hungry. I don't feel so great tonight. You can have whatever Xena doesn't want."

"Give me some of the damn rabbit," the dark-haired warrior grumbled. The Destroyer said nothing, but under her mane of hair long, pointed teeth flashed in a grin.


	8. Old Wounds Reopen

"Look at that, Xena."

"What? What is it?" The tall woman was stomping out the last of their cookfire while her friend was laying out their bedrolls for the night.

"Just look over there, at Tira Darkheart."

Xena followed Gabrielle's gaze over to where the Destroyer and her cat had finally fallen asleep, on the opposite side of the fire from where Gabrielle had unpacked. In the last rays of daylight she could see the pair clearly. The young woman was curled tightly around her companion, her arm almost completely hidden in his long fur. Because of the way her hair had fallen, away from her head, Xena could actually see what the Destroyer looked like for the first time. Her features were smooth and her skin was clear and bright, if slightly dirty. She had a prominent nose and full lips accented by a strong yet feminine chin. Despite her rough life, her body did not seem to show many signs of abuse. Her bare feet were toughened but not gnarled, as might be expected from someone who habitually walked without shoes. She had no visible scars on her arms or legs. Although she appeared well-fed and had the soft curves one would expect to find on a matured teenager, raw muscle was clearly visible just below the skin, especially on her arms and shoulders. _She looks the way I might expect a young Amazon to look, except the Amazons take more baths and don't wear a fur tunic in the summer._ "What about her? She's finally asleep, so we won't have to put up with her mouth for a while at least."

"No, but don't you see it? Her and the cat."

"So she sleeps with the cat. So what?"

"She said she hates being touched, remember? But she looks like she's hanging on to that cat for dear life."

Xena rolled her eyes and started getting ready for bed. "Don't get too attached, Gabrielle. Remember what she is. I can't forget, and that's why I won't be getting much sleep tonight."

Gabrielle, too, began to settle in. She laid her head back in her hands, watching the last of the sun's rays retreat behind the horizon. "Xena, I know she's the Destroyer, but do we have any actual evidence that she's done something wrong, especially something worthy of death? We've never seen her attack anyone other than you, and that was because you went after her cat."

"She's a killer. She said so herself. She's proud of it."

"I'm not sure about that. She seems to want us to think she's proud of it. In fact, she seems to be doing everything she can to be unlikable, but the one thing she hasn't done is tried to hurt us. She had every opportunity to kill me while you were gone, Xena. Considering she's strong enough to fight you to a draw, I'm not sure there was much I would have been able to do to stop her."

"I had that damned cat. She wouldn't have tried anything."

"Doesn't that tell you something? She cares about her friend."

"Yeah, and Hope seemed to care about her child too," Xena snorted, tossing her armor in a pile but keeping her sword and chakram close to the bedrolls. "You know what, Gabrielle, I'm sick of your pity party for this monster. It's just a matter of time before she has to die and we both know it."

Gabrielle sat up abruptly and waved her arm towards the sleeping pair on the other side of the campsite. "You really think it's that simple? She's asleep right now. Go kill her. Go kill her, Xena, if it's so easy for you to make that choice. I won't stop you. But you won't do it, will you? You know it's wrong."

"I'm still not satisfied that we have all the facts we need. Ares left a lot to the imagination and I want to know why, not that it's a surprise he'd be a sneaky bastard."

"You wouldn't keep her alive just for that, not if you considered her the threat you make her out to be. And you know Ares is a manipulative liar. We both know that all too well. You expect it every time you interact with him." Gabrielle paused, lying back down and pulling a light blanket over herself. "What did he say? I know you talked to him earlier. That's the only reason you'd have gone off like that."

"Oh, he's angry. He wants Tira Darkheart dead, and he wants it now. That's another reason I'm hesitant. If Ares has his heart set on something it's usually bad. I confronted him about why he hasn't just done it himself. He's scared of her god-killing power. I don't think Ares will ever forget the look on Strife's face when he was stabbed with the hind's blood dagger and destroyed. It's changed him. He'll always know that fear, now. Poor baby. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

"Xena, why can't you admit, at least to yourself, that you might have to treat Tira Darkheart like a person instead of a creature of pure evil?"

"Why can't you admit that maybe your judgment is clouded on this issue like last time, when it cost me a son?" Xena snapped.

Gabrielle looked like she had been slapped. She wished Xena had slapped her. It would have hurt a lot less. "How can you bring that into this?" Gabrielle asked in a trembling, quiet voice. "How dare you? I lost a child too, Xena, or have you forgotten? Unlike you I had to KILL my own child, my daughter, for the sake of all of the other children of the world, for what I knew was right. And then I had to do it AGAIN. You know why I did it, Xena? Because I had to face facts and admit to myself exactly what she was, and what she could never be, which was anything but her father's daughter. No part of her was ever mine, ever contained any trace of compassion. But more than that, Xena, I didn't just do it to save the world, or to save the children. I did it for YOU. And I am so sick of having to prove to you, over and over, that I'm loyal to you first. I'm done, Xena. I'm done trying so hard to make it up to you. I've either convinced you, or I haven't. So forget it." Gabrielle turned over roughly, tears burning at the corners of her eyes, and pulled the blanket up around her ears.

Xena swallowed hard. "Gabrielle, I…" She stopped mid-sentence. She knew it was useless and that there would be no reply no matter what she said. "Shit," she muttered under her breath and got up. There was no going to sleep now, even though she was bone-tired. _Najara may have been a zealot and a lunatic but she was right about me. Once again, foremost among my many skills seems to be hurting Gabrielle. How could I be so stupid, especially when I know we may not have much more time together? It sounds terrible, even to think it, but it did cross my mind that I could leave her alone with that thing was because it's not how she's supposed to die. I know how she dies, how we die. I guess by that same logic, I should take comfort in the fact that I won't die in a fight with Tira Darkheart. But that's idiotic. This is why it's so dangerous to think too much about fate. At this rate I could get both of us killed with no help from the Romans._

Xena found herself walking over to where the Destroyer was sleeping and staring down at her contemptuously. She was so angry she wanted to spit. "This is all your fault. If you'd never showed up around here, Gabrielle wouldn't be hurting so much," Xena growled, conveniently ignoring the fact that they had sought out the Destroyer in the first place and that it was her words alone that had wounded Gabrielle. She stalked away, back towards where Argo was resting. As she approached her faithful horse and whispered soothing words to her, she noticed that one of Gabrielle's scrolls was poking out of the saddlebag. Unable to help herself, Xena took out the scroll and unrolled it. She didn't ever want Gabrielle to find out that often, when they would have a disagreement or fight, she would wait until the bard was asleep and then read some of her work to make herself feel better. She loved Gabrielle's stories and marveled at the young woman's talent. She conveyed the feelings of a moment in a clear, yet moving way that Xena knew she never could.

The warrior was slightly disappointed to find that the scroll she pulled out was mostly blank. At the top it was titled "A Good Day," and was clearly about their fight with Caesar and Pompey from several weeks before, but there was little story yet. _It must be getting harder and harder for Gabrielle to write some of these tales. There's so much pain in her life now, in both our lives. For me, everything is tolerable as long as I have her. I wish she could take strength in me the same way, but I guess it's not to be._ Xena's eyes traveled down the parchment until she noticed an unfamiliar, jagged line of text jutting across an otherwise blank space. Gabrielle's handwriting was usually smooth and easy to read. Xena felt her blood boil. _Did that idiot Joxer mess around with her scrolls again? I'll wring his scrawny neck._ Just as she was protective of her best friend, so she was protective of her work, except on the rare occasion that Xena had done the cooking and there were absolutely no good leaves in the bush. _I'm sure Gabrielle understands there are times a scroll just has to be sacrificed._

Finally Xena read what had been scratched hastily onto Gabrielle's scroll. Her ice-blue eyes went wide and shot over to where the brown-haired girl was sleeping with her cat. "She wrote this – that's what got her Gabrielle's sympathy. She showed she can read and write." Xena was forced to admit that she would never have expected the Destroyer to bother to learn reading and writing, even if she was capable of it. _I already knew she was clever. But animal cleverness and real intelligence are not the same. Why would she have any interest in reading and writing? And why, if she wants nothing to do with people, would she deliberately spend enough time in settled areas to learn?_ Xena shook her head and put the scroll back in the saddlebag carefully. She cast one last glance towards the Destroyer's sleeping form before returning to her bedroll at Gabrielle's side. She knew better than to make any attempt at comforting the bard. There was no fixing things tonight. Painfully aware of the gap she was leaving between them, Xena stretched out on the far side of her bedroll from Gabrielle and forced herself into an uneasy slumber.


	9. Some Like It Hot

"That's what you get! I warned you, all of you, what would happen if you didn't pay tribute on time, so don't come CRYING to me when the consequences aren't to your liking!" A tall, ugly man was standing in the middle of a village common, waving his sword in the air and shouting to anyone who came within hearing range. He was covered in tattoos and had weapons strapped to every available space on his leather-clad body. Half of his head, but only half, was completely shaved, and he was missing the ear on that side.

All around him was utter chaos. Brutal men, his men, were tearing through the village destroying everything they could reach. Men, women, and children ran screaming in terror. A few brave souls tried putting up a fight, but the lucky ones saw a quick death. The unlucky ones were dragged behind a building where their screams only got louder. At the far end of the village, the warlord saw a fire breaking out, and he smiled. "Good work, men! Make sure that fire spreads through everything! I want this place to BURN." The village's capital crime against the warlord was simply that they could not assemble half of their crops quickly enough to hand over to him. The real problem was that they had assembled more than two thirds of all they had, but it was a bad harvest and too early for most of the crops anyhow, and so it was deemed less than the half share they owed. Of course, the warlord knew all of this when he made his demands. He deliberately put the villagers in an impossible position so that he could make an example of them for the other farmers inhabiting his territory. He knew he would bring in a rich bounty this year.

The fire grew and grew until it began to roar. It had been dry for over a month, and the thatched-roof structures that dominated the town were the perfect kindling. The scarred man looked over his handiwork, and he smiled. "Being a general is a decent living all and all," he mused to himself, "but nothing compares to inspiring this much terror. After this, no one in this valley will dare stand against me."

Some distance away, in the shadow of the mountain, a woman with unkempt brown hair sat straight, her eyes intent. She sniffed the air once, then again. "Burning," she murmured.

Gabrielle looked up from the frying pan, where she was making the rest of last night's rabbit for breakfast, as well as a fish Xena had caught in the stream. "You know, I have done this before. I know how to cook. Maybe if it was Xena doing it you should be worried about your food burning, but it's safe with me, I promise."

"Very funny, Gabrielle," Xena replied over her shoulder. She was brushing Argo out carefully. She had done it last night, but she had felt compelled to do it again. It was far better than sitting at the campsite not talking to Gabrielle or their uninvited guests.

"No…" The Destroyer's eyes went wide. Mendi seemed to sense it, too. "Burning. I mean a big fire. There it is. Look!" She pointed to the horizon to the west, beyond the fields where they were camped. Thick curls of smoke were making their way skyward.

"By the gods," Gabrielle gasped. "Xena, isn't that near the little village we stayed in a couple nights ago?"

"I don't think near is the word you're looking for," the warrior replied grimly. "Eat whatever's ready, Gabrielle. We have to go." Xena started to prepare Argo to ride out as quickly as she could when she stopped cold. She turned her steely glare upon the Destroyer and Mendi. "Shit. I forgot about these two. We can't just leave them here."

"Xena." Gabrielle's face was pleading. "Those people need our help. What if that fire was no accident? You know there's been marauders around this area for a while."

The Warrior Princess hesitated. _It goes against my every instinct to leave Dahak's Destroyer alone. We might never find her again until it's too late. But Gabrielle does have a point. I haven't killed her yet._

"You have to choose, Xena," the Destroyer prodded, her face smug. She pulled out her knife, stabbed through one of the chunks of meat in the pan, and popped it into her mouth. "How many people have to end up like this while you follow me around?"

Xena grit her teeth, not taking her eyes off of the wild woman that seemed to be looking straight through her. _By the gods I hope she's smart enough not to give me a reason._ "All right. Let's go, Gabrielle."

"What about the frying pan?"

"Leave it. It's too hot. We'll get another later." Within moments Xena was mounted up on Argo extending a hand down to her best friend. She easily pulled the young bard up behind her. Gabrielle wrapped an arm tightly around Xena's waist, her staff in the other hand. Xena was grateful for the show of trust, despite the dire circumstances that inspired it. Gabrielle was well beyond the point where she actually needed to hold on to Xena while they rode Argo. Both adventurers paused to look down at the ones they were leaving behind. "If you have any interest in staying alive, don't ever make me have to find you again. We will not part like this a second time."

Gabrielle's goodbye to the pair was considerably less harsh. "Be good, Tira Darkheart. Please." With that, they were gone, riding hard in the direction of the fire.

There was a long moment of silence after their departure. Mendi relaxed considerably and began padding around the campsite, rolling in the dirt and stretching himself methodically. The Destroyer removed the pan from the fire and kicked mud over it until it went out. She said nothing as she calmly finished what would have been Xena and Gabrielle's breakfast.

"I'm SO glad those humans are gone," Mendi purred, coming over to rub his entire length against his friend. "They made me nervous. Especially the dark one. She gave us ugly looks the whole time." The Destroyer petted him and offered him the last of the meat from the pan. He began to lick the fat from the metal surface, since it had cooled enough to touch.

"Well, I'm sorry to tell you this, bud, but we're going after them."

Mendi let out a loud hiss and jumped back from his companion. "What? Why? They're nothing but trouble. They hate you. Why would you follow them?"

"Someone torched that village. That someone needs to pay. Xena and Gabrielle will be going after the ones who did it. That means a fight. You know I never pass up a good fight."

"That's all it is? You just want to get in a fight? But you can get in a fight anywhere. Why do you have to get involved in THEIR fight?"

She shrugged, standing up. "They might need help."

"Why is that your problem? We don't help humans."

The Destroyer stared off in the direction of the smoke, which now rose in a much fatter column than before. "I know we don't. I'd been thinking about trying."

"These are the things I don't understand again, aren't they?"

She sighed and scratched at her brown mane of hair. "Remember how I said there were some things humans do that interest me? It's like when we go to the towns and I give people the metal discs, and they give me stuff I want more. It's a trade. Some humans are good traders. I want to see what happens if I pay with help instead of coins for a change. Think of it like a test. It's fun."

"Sometimes I question your idea of fun. You know what I think would be fun? A nap. Naps are fun. So is eating. Those things are fun, not chasing after humans."

"You know I won't make you go. You can go looking for one of those girl cats you like so much. I always find my way back to you."

"No you don't. I stay with you. You're acting very stupid. Maybe I need to watch out for you in your stupid phase. Can't stand the thought that you won't ever come back."

"That's my bro. Come on, we'd better get started." The Destroyer picked up the frying pan, cleaned and sheathed her blade, and began to trot in the direction of the burning village.

By the time Xena and Gabrielle arrived on the scene, it was largely too late to save anything. Half of the village was smoldering and half was still ablaze. The culprits were nowhere in sight, long gone. The pair dismounted and began helping the inhabitants that were still alive any way they could, putting out fires and rescuing any trapped people or animals that weren't beyond help. The villagers, although still terrified, did not question the pair's actions and were grateful for the assistance. The sun was high in the sky by the time everything had calmed down enough for Xena and Gabrielle to assess the situation. The people of the town had almost nothing left.

A worn-looking woman approached the two adventurers as the dust settled. "We're grateful for what you're doing here, but who are you?" she asked, unable to hide the suspicion in her voice.

"My name is Xena. This is my friend, Gabrielle. We saw the smoke rising in the distance and came to see what was causing it."

"Who are you?" asked the bard.

"I'm Hireitis. I'm the village elder's wife. He was one of the first that they killed, so I'm in charge now. Not that there's much left to be responsible for."

"Who were 'they'?" Xena queried.

"The army of Miltiades," the elder's wife replied. "We didn't pay sufficient tribute, not that we had it, so they came here at daybreak and destroyed everything. Every family's lost someone and some families have been wiped out completely."

"Who's this Miltiades? I've never heard of him."

"He's the disgraced son of an Athenian noble who was given land far, far out on the frontier. It wasn't long before he discovered it was easier to raid the land with his army than protect it, and when that started to pay off he just won over more recruits. A lot of our sons went off to join him. We cursed their names, but now it seems that they are still alive while we have lost so many. Perhaps they made the right choice after all."

"We'll make sure they didn't," Xena growled. She was looking forward to taking out her frustrations on a murderous warlord. "Did Miltiades come through here with his whole army?"

"No, just a small party. He knew we were defenseless. It didn't take more than twenty men to do all this." Hireitis's tired, gray eyes looked over the pair now filthy from digging through soot. "You're Xena of Amphipolis and Gabrielle of Potedaia, aren't you? We've heard some tales around these lands. I know you're a very strong warrior, Xena, but there's no sense going after Miltiades. Once he makes it to his fortress it will be impossible to touch him. He's a very suspicious man."

"Then we'll get to him before he reaches it."

In the wreckage of what used to be the stable, a young man in armor slowly came to his senses. During the raid, he had run into the structure to try and steal the horses. The fire had spread too fast, however, and he was forced to jump through the burning side of the flimsy shack, being hit on the head by falling debris as he did so. Those cleaning up the mess around him had assumed he was dead and left him alone. As he regained full consciousness, the injured raider crawled soundlessly around the remains of the building and peered into the common area. His eyes widened in terror. He saw one of the old women of the village talking to a tall, dark haired woman in armor and a shorter blonde woman who accompanied her. Every fighter had heard the tales about the Warrior Princess, and there was no doubt about the woman's identity.

"Miltiades would give me half a year's pay if I brought him the head of the Warrior Princess," the raider mumbled, fingering his dagger nervously. It was true that he was the best knife thrower in his unit, but if he missed, hurt as he was, he had no chance of escaping. _On the other hand, I'm not the biggest guy in the band, and I'm tired of those ugly bastards using me as a woman substitute when they get lonely. Taking out the Warrior Princess would mean I'd never have to sit down slowly again._ He made his choice and raised the dagger high.

Xena, Gabrielle, and Hireitis were shocked out of their conversation by a loud CLANG! from behind the ruins of a nearby building. Although all were surprised, no one was more astounded than Xena to see a young woman clad in fur and skin drag an unconscious man into the street. She walked calmly, head down, her captive's collar in one hand and a frying pan in the other. When she reached the speechless Warrior Princess she looked up and grinned. Dropping the raider and indicating the frying pan she offered a simple explanation for her presence. "You guys forgot this."


	10. Bad Company

"Tira Darkheart…you came back?" Gabrielle squeaked impotently. She had hoped that the young woman would have had the sense to stay hidden away for some time, possibly forever. She certainly did not expect to see her again half a day after they had parted.

"Get out of here," Xena rumbled, furious. "Just what in Hades do you think you're doing?"

"So you're telling me you didn't know this prick was 'bout to toss a dagger straight through your throat, eh? Once again, I'm disappointed. You shouldn't be so distracted, Xena. Lousy way ta go into battle."

Xena swallowed hard. It was true that she hadn't sensed the danger. She told herself that if anything had been thrown at her she could have dodged or deflected it easily, but the fact that an inexperienced punk had taken aim at her without her knowledge bothered her. She had to admit her focus was off. "What do you want?"

"Friend of yours?" Hireitis asked tentatively.

"Not exactly," Gabrielle answered, thinking it best to keep the Destroyer's identity quiet for the moment. "But we know her. It's nothing to worry about."

Xena resumed her all-business attitude as she evaluated the unconscious man who'd taken a frying pan to the skull. "I'd like to interrogate him. Gabrielle, get his armor off." Together, the two women stripped their captive to the waist. He remained limp. Xena made a fist and dug her knuckles into the man's breastbone, hard. "Wake up. Get up, scum. Open your eyes." It soon became obvious that no amount of cajoling was going to rouse the soldier. Xena dropped him, frustrated. "How hard did you hit him with that thing?"

The Destroyer shrugged nonchalantly. "Very hard. Maybe he'll never wake up. I'm not sure. Didn't give it much thought."

Xena sighed and rubbed her eyes. "Gabrielle, see that he's tied up. Treat him if you want, but not before any surviving villagers that you can help. I'm going to set out after Miltiades's party and see if I can track them to a campsite where they'll stay the night. I didn't see anything like a fortress around here. Hopefully it's more than a day's march."

As Xena was conferring with her friend, the Destroyer walked up to Hireitis and offered her the handle of the frying pan. "You want this?" The young woman gazed around at the smoldering ruins of the village. "Hm. Might have been more useful earlier."

The grief-stricken widow muttered something about having to attend to the children and left, tears streaming down her dirt-streaked cheeks. The Destroyer dropped the frying pan onto the half-naked soldier's stomach, again producing no response. Gabrielle, who had heard the end of the brief exchange and seen Hireitis walk away, frowned severely. "What you just did was cruel, Tira Darkheart."

"Why? She has nothin' now. Thought she could use it. Ah well."

"Listen up, you ignorant little brat. I'm in a bad mood already and you being here is making it much, much worse. So you better explain why you're here, and fast. Did you bring that damned cat along too?"

"Mendi's at the edge of town, laying low. Didn't want to spook the villagers. I can call him anytime. You're going to fight someone. I've decided to fight too."

"Do you mean to tell me you think you're going to try and help? You're completely insane. I am going after Miltiades, and by the time I get back I expect you to be gone, you and Mendi. Understand? Gabrielle, take care of this, somehow. I can't afford to waste any more time." Xena stalked off in search of clues as to which direction the raiding party headed as they escaped.

"Xena has a funny way of saying thanks," the Destroyer mused. She picked up the dagger that the unconscious soldier was going to throw and twirled it deftly. "This would have hurt, I bet."

Gabrielle sighed. She was not happy to see the wild woman, but she had to acknowledge that she had helped Xena. "She – you make her very angry, Tira Darkheart. And I'm not thrilled to see you either, to tell the truth. But you did just protect my best friend, so I'll thank you, even if she won't. I appreciate what you did. I really do think you should get out of here, though. We're on a mission now, and distractions aren't going to help us."

"I'm not a distraction if you don't let me be. I told ya, I'm gonna fight. But not just yet. Right now I'm gonna track the soldiers with Xena."

The bard turned pale. "I think that's a very bad idea."

"Xena prolly does too. That's stupid. I'm a better tracker than her. So it's actually a good idea. Don't worry, Gabrielle. I won't leave you here alone to clean up the mess by yourself. Come over here." The Destroyer led Gabrielle to a spot at the edge of the village, out of sight of those still milling about. There she directed a sound almost like a wildcat's snarl towards the tall grasses. Mendi materialized in moments, seemingly from nowhere. "Mendi'll help ya."

"The – the big cat?" Gabrielle protested. She was not sure how she felt about being left with an animal she couldn't communicate with or control. "What can he even do?"

"Look out for you and maybe move some things. You can ask him for help but be nice about it. And speak slow. His Greek's not great. Don't let the villagers see ya do it. People tend to freak out when they figure out a cat talks, y'know?"

The blonde woman realized that there was no use objecting. It might be worse to make a scene and frighten the already terrified and vulnerable villagers. "All right. Mendi? Come here please?" She held out a hesitant hand. The great cat cautiously sniffed at her fingers. He snorted in response to the scent, but he nudged his head briefly against one of her boot-clad shins.

"Stay with Gabrielle for a little while, all right? I have to go, but I'll come back soon," the Destroyer whispered to Mendi. Gabrielle could have sworn she heard the cat whine, but when she returned to the village center, the animal followed her some distance behind. Satisfied, the Destroyer set off on her own to catch up to the Warrior Princess.

Xena crouched down on the muddy bank of what would normally have been a stream, except for the recent dry weather which had caused it to evaporate. She could clearly see all of the hoof prints of the war party's horses, but she knew that tracking them on foot this way was useless. They had sped off as soon as they finished setting the fires, and the only way she would catch them now was by returning to the village and mounting up on Argo. _Tempting as it is, launching a one-person assault on a mounted party out in the open with no cover is foolish. There's nothing to do now but go back and see if I can get some information from that captive, assuming he'll ever wake up._

"Figured out they're too far away, finally?"

Xena whirled in surprise and anger to face the impudent voice. _How? How did she come up on me without my knowing?_ "What do you think you're doing here? I told you to get lost."

"Looks like you're the one's got lost, Xena. I knew from the beginning of the trail it was no use going on like this. But you're all locked up inside your head and weren't paying attention." As if to emphasize her point, the Destroyer casually tossed a familiar throwing dagger at the warrior's feet. Xena fumed, but the brown-haired woman spoke on, changing to a less confrontational tone. "I'm not pickin' on you, Xena. Happens t'me all the time. But bad things happen when you get trapped up in your head. Trust me, I know. I'd have the scars to prove it, if I could scar."

"You think you can show up and talk to me like we've known each other for years now? Just who the fuck do you think you are? Why won't you show enough sense to stay out of my way?"

"To be completely honest, I'm intrigued by you now. You're like a puzzle, Xena. By rights, I shoulda killed you already. You did attack me unprovoked, after all. But there's so much I'm tryin' to understand, and every moment I spend watchin' you just raises more questions. Here's one I can't figure. Why is it me bein' around makes you angry with Gabrielle? I heard you two fightin', and I knew it was 'cause of me but why? Why should meeting one strange girl, and don't get me wrong, I know I'm strange, but why would that affect a friendship of years? Can you explain it to me, Xena?"

The Warrior Princess was livid. She would barely tolerate such a question from her own mother, let alone someone she hated as much as she did the Destroyer. "Fuck you! I'm not some project for you to study! This is my life you're talking about here, and the life of my best friend! Even if I would answer a question like that, which you've no right to ask, it would be pointless. You could never understand something like that. Never. You know nothing of friendship, of love, of sharing your life with someone else. How could you? You're nothing but a monster that happens to look like a girl. You're a dangerous, degenerate creature masquerading as human, and that's all you'll ever be!"


	11. Two Step

The Destroyer stood in front of Xena numbly, the fiery intensity normally in her brown-black eyes nowhere to be found. Xena noticed the change in demeanor. It was not the reaction she had expected. For the first time since they had encountered each other, it appeared that the Destroyer was searching for words.

The brown-haired woman was kicking herself inside for not having an immediate retort. It wasn't as if she hadn't heard this or something similar hundreds of times. Her own father had said as much every chance he got, even as he knocked her distinctive canine teeth out of her head and cursed her again when they grew back. _I should have known she'd pull that card, but I guess some part of me held out hope I wouldn't have to hear it from her. Coming from her, it's different somehow. I think we're beyond 'witty comeback' territory now. She wants to play that way? Fine. Time for some truths SHE doesn't care to hear._

She let a soft, hollow chuckle slip, tossing her hair back over her face, and when she looked up again she stared directly into Xena's icy gaze. The Warrior Princess could feel the energy radiate from those smoldering eyes. It bothered her when the Destroyer stared at her that way, and the fact that it bothered her unsettled her even more.

"You know what, Xena? I hate to tell ya this, but if you really, truly believed that with all your heart, one of us would be dead already. We both know that. Here's another little detail you mighta missed – if that was completely true, your words would be completely meaningless to me. Yet the way ya said it, sure sounds like you were tryin' to hurt me with those words. I don't have to say shit, Xena, you're digging your own hole just fine. But since you clearly wanna go at it with words 'stead of blades, I'm game. I always did love a good fight. So I could never understand friendship, eh? I understand a good bit more than you think, Warrior Princess. I understand that when you get angry you can't handle it and have to find someone else to take it out on. Gabrielle's usually the most convenient target, am I right? But you just did that and you feel bad about it. So here I am, and it's easy to take it out on me, because you never have to feel bad about that, never have to agonize over mistreatin' your pal when you can dump on someone you hate anyhow."

Xena began to object, but the Destroyer waved her off. "I'm. Not. FINISHED. You know, you disappoint me, Xena. You don't like me, and I don't like you, and there's nothing wrong with that. We're not likable. It's how we are. But I had a certain kind of respect for ya. I knew about what you did, how you tried so hard to change after all those years o' hurtin' everyone you came across, with no better reason than that you were angry and they were there. I don't even know what you're angry ABOUT, Xena. I expect somethin' awful happened to you along the way. I only know my history, not yours. Thing is, Xena, you may not be pillagin' and lootin' anymore, but you still wanna find that target for your anger so you don't haveta deal with it yourself. You dress it up different, but it's the same ol' song and dance. Now, you feel compelled to beat up on me, that's one thing. Like I said, no love lost between us. But you're an IDIOT if you do it to Gabrielle."

Xena swallowed hard. "Don't you bring her into this you…" It was too late. The Destroyer was already stalking her way back to the village, ending the conversation on her own terms. _She's actually angry about what I said. She tried not to show it, but for some reason it bothered her. Then she responded in kind. Not only did she strike a nerve, she did it with the truth only. I wonder if this is how I treated Mother when I was her age. I hope I never have a daughter._ A disturbing realization came upon the Warrior Princess. _I shouldn't, but for some reason I actually regret what I said to Tira Darkheart. It wasn't fair, and it was just me searching for the easiest target. Intending to hurt her is an implicit admission on my part that she has feelings to be hurt._

"She's walking away from you again, Xena. This is your chance. You can take her out right now. Or are you going to let yet another opportunity slip by?" The God of War's husky voice pierced Xena's eardrum and made her shiver involuntarily.

Xena admonished herself for being so lost in her thoughts that she had not sensed Ares until he was already upon her. "Eavesdropping again, Ares?"

"Got to hand it to that one," Ares crooned, staring after the Destroyer, who was nearly out of sight. "She's able to rattle you even better than I can. I wouldn't have expected this of you, Xena. You're going to let a punk kid push you around now? Not so long ago she'd have had a chakram sticking out of her back by now."

"Those times aren't long enough ago for my taste. You've lost this one, Ares. Neither of us is going to play along with your little game this time."

"Excuse me?" Ares walked around from behind Xena and glared at her, perturbed. "Neither of us? Last I checked, I asked YOU to do one simple thing for me, something you should have been glad to do, and yet, I'm still unsatisfied. I know it's your hobby to leave me unsatisfied, Xena, but when it comes to Dahak I didn't think you'd be willing to take it so lightly."

"I'm not the one who's been taking it lightly. I know your dirty little secret, Ares. Just like with Hope, with the other Destroyer, you've been working both sides of this from the beginning."

"What exactly are you saying?" the God of War snapped.

"Tira Darkheart wrote on Gabrielle's scroll. I saw it later, when they were asleep. She said she wanted most of all to be left alone. Who wasn't leaving her alone, Ares? Who was she trying to get away from, hiding out in that forest? You went to her first. You intended to turn her to your side. You thought it would be easy, that she would be pure evil like Hope and jump at the chance to destroy at your command. You thought you'd have a hedge against all the other gods, with her powers under your control. But she surprised you, just as she surprised me and Gabrielle. She turned you down, didn't she Ares? She wanted nothing to do with you. You couldn't let that go, so you came to me, hoping I'd cut her down without asking too many questions about why. You counted on me letting my anger get the best of me, and you lost that gamble too. So here you are, with the Destroyer still alive. Are you afraid that she might tell the wrong person about the deal you wanted to make, Ares? That she might tell the wrong god?"

"You know, Xena, you make me out to be such a bad guy. But I was giving Tira Darkheart just what she wanted, either way. Why do you think the other gods haven't gone after her yet? I found out about her first, but instead of taking that bit of information to my brothers and sisters, I kept it to myself. Well, myself and one other god."

"Oh, so you told Discord or one of your other lackeys about her? That's really generous of you."

"Nope. Actually, I told a god who's not fond of me in the least. But she keeps to herself, and is more concerned with her own affairs than anything else. I told her just in case the situation were to become, shall I say, 'out of control'. Otherwise, it's our little secret. As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me – if it weren't for me helping her 'hide out', half of Olympus would be after her. What do you think would happen to her then? She may be a powerful fighter, especially for her age, but how long could you or even someone like Hercules last against multiple gods all intent on your death? Now, as for the rest, yeah, she turned me down. I wouldn't ascribe such a noble motive to her refusal as you have, Xena. You and she have something else in common, a certain stubbornness. You each refuse what's clearly in your best interest because of that ridiculous independence you insist on having."

"So explain to me how killing her was giving her what she wanted, Ares? Forgive me if I'm not clear on that."

"Look at her, Xena. She's a miserable creature. She can't be happy in this world. She can only exist day to day, like she has her whole life, and watch civilization pass her by. She's just human enough for this to bother her, whether she acknowledges it or not. She wants something she can never have. I offered her the one life she could live that wouldn't condemn her to the outside looking in. She said no. Dumb kids do that, turn down their one chance at salvation."

"So it's a mercy killing, is that what you expect me to believe? This is a new low, even for you."

"What's that, Xena? Is that a trace of sympathy I hear? Don't tell me you're getting a soft spot for Tira Darkheart. Bad, bad idea. I tried to warn you, Xena. Give it time. It won't be long before she'll be begging you to kill her, and you'll be eager to oblige. It could have been easy, before. But now it will be messy. And I'm going to enjoy watching how it all goes down." The God of War vanished.

"Fantastic," spat the Warrior Princess, and started for the village.


	12. Answers

Both Gabrielle and the villagers were becoming uneasy with the oversized feline they were keeping company with when the Destroyer returned to town. Gabrielle saw her wander into the square slowly, seeming almost lost. Mendi did not go to her. Instead, he waited for his mistress to come give him a reassuring stroke between the ears before he entwined himself in her shins and began to purr loudly. The Destroyer saw that Gabrielle was helping to clear burned timbers out of the street, tossing them into growing piles of discarded items between the shells of buildings. "I got that." The young woman nudged the soot-covered bard aside and hefted what would have been three trips' worth of wood for the blonde in one armload.

Gabrielle watched her go, shaking her head. "By the gods she's strong," she whistled. She found herself petting Mendi's head absentmindedly. The big cat started to recoil, then thought better of it and allowed himself to enjoy the attention. "She doesn't seem to tire much, either."

"She's very tired," the cat replied, causing Gabrielle to jump. She was able to understand him.

Although the idea of conversing with an animal and having it talk back was unnerving, the bard asked, "You think so? She's carrying all that wood."

"You not understanding. She's tired – hmm…" Gabrielle heard the cat mutter something in the unfamiliar language before he continued. "She's tired on the inside."

The blonde woman's blue eyes went wide. The remarkably insightful animal was telling her his companion was upset about something. "I see. I get it." She waited until the other woman came back empty handed and asked her casually, "What did you and Xena find?"

"They're long gone. We can't catch up to them today."

"So where is she?"

"Not sure. She'll be back in a bit, I expect." The Destroyer grabbed another massive load, drawing the stares of several villagers, and walked off again. This time Gabrielle followed her. There was a loud clatter as the Destroyer dumped the trash onto the mounting heap. She was about to walk right past Gabrielle when the bard met her eyes, stopping her.

"Tira Darkheart, are you –"

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

The bard was surprised at being cut off. "Sure. Of course you can."

"Why does Xena hate me?"

Gabrielle winced at the question. Her mind raced for an explanation. "She doesn't hate you, Tira Darkheart, she just…"

"Yes, she does. She hates me. And you're afraid of me."

"It's complicated. It's a very difficult situation, for both of us."

"I know. Because of me Xena yells at you. She wants to be angry with you, but she also loves you."

The Destroyer's perceptiveness in spite of only having been with them a short time disturbed Gabrielle. Was the tension between them that obvious? "I thought you said you didn't understand people."

"I don't. That's why you gotta explain it to me. Please." The Destroyer kept her voice level, betraying nothing except the intensity of her interest. She had no intention of admitting, even to herself, that Xena's words had affected her.

"I guess you deserve to know. You, in particular. Come sit with me by the stream, and bring Mendi before he frightens someone."

They sat on some large, smooth stones in the dry creekbed. The Destroyer fixed her smoldering eyes on Gabrielle, waiting. "Now you'll tell me?"

"Yes. See, it has to do with the other Destroyer. The one that wasn't you."

"Right. I asked if he was my brother and you said no. Also, Xena killed him."

"That's all true, but there's more to it than that. That Destroyer's mother was not your mother. He had another mother, and her name was Hope."

"So Hope was the daughter of Dahak."

"Yeah. And this – this is the part that's very hard for me and Xena. Hope was my child. She was my daughter."

The young woman's eyes went wide in disbelief. "You?" she repeated incredulously. "You coupled with Dahak?"

"Well yes, but – it wasn't my choice. He forced me. His spirit took hold of me and planted his seed in me. Within a couple weeks it became obvious I was pregnant."

"I understand. You were raped. I'm sorry, Gabrielle. But how did Dahak's spirit come to you? You have a pure heart."

Gabrielle sighed wearily. "Not so pure as you might think. I had never killed anyone before. Xena and I went to a place called Brittania to help an old friend of hers against Caesar of Rome. Some followers of Dahak tricked me into killing his priestess, Meridian, and when I stabbed her I lost my blood innocence. His followers put me on his altar, and that was that."

The Destroyer frowned, lost in thought. _Still don't understand. To kill in self-defense or by accident is no crime. There must be something more. But I can ask that later. I want to know about Xena._ "Right. Terrible. But Xena couldn't be angry with you for something that wasn't your fault."

"That's right. Xena wasn't angry about that. She protected me while I was pregnant and helped me bear the child. But Xena warned me that the pregnancy wasn't natural and that Dahak's child would not be normal. She tried to prepare me for the fact that my daughter could be evil."

The Destroyer nodded, beginning to see the parallels with her own case and waiting for the missing piece. To her shock, Gabrielle broke down and began to sob. The young woman had no idea how to handle someone being upset, however, and froze wide-eyed like a surprised deer. Swallowing hard, she nudged Mendi towards Gabrielle. The massive cat took up residence against the bard's shins.

"Thanks. I'm sorry. I guess I'm still not over it. Maybe I never will be. I don't know if you can understand this, Tira Darkheart, but I loved that baby. I loved my daughter so much, and I wanted to believe that she could be good if she just chose to be. Xena wanted to kill Hope, especially after she strangled a man on the same night she was born. I couldn't do it. I felt like if I killed Hope, I was killing the hope inside me that one day I could be happy again even after all that had happened to me. So I lied. I lied to Xena and told her that I killed Hope. Instead I sent her down a river in a basket and prayed someone would take care of her."

"You lied to Xena to protect your child, even though you knew the child was dangerous, the daughter of Dahak. And then Hope gave birth to the Destroyer and Xena had to kill it? Is that why she's angry?"

"No, Tira Darkheart. It's so much worse than that. You see, Xena had a child too. A son named Solan. She had him years ago and gave him up to the Centaurs so that he would be raised safely, away from the life she led then. Hope found Solan, and…"

Gabrielle couldn't finish, but the Destroyer knew exactly what had happened. "Hope killed Xena's son. You lied to her, and then she lost Solan."

The bard was in tears again. She wiped her burning eyes. "Yeah."

A strange look came over the young woman's face as she studied Gabrielle. "Why are you still alive?"

Although an immensely insensitive question, its logic made perfect sense to both the Destroyer and Gabrielle. "You know, sometimes I wonder. You're right, Xena did want to kill me for some time. A lot of things have happened since then. I can't explain it all right now, but I will say that I killed Hope, or at least tried to, twice. I finally accepted what she was. Unfortunately I couldn't kill her before she had the Destroyer. The Destroyer killed her, killed his own mother, by accident because she looked like me. Xena had already mortally wounded him and he was lashing out at what he thought was me. That was the end of it, or so we thought. And then you came along."

The brown-haired woman half-smiled wryly. "Suddenly I'm impressed with Xena's restraint. And yours. Who was the father?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The father. Who knocked up Hope?"

"Ares, God of War."

At this revelation the Destroyer snorted loudly, barely restraining her laugher.

"You know him?"

"Oh yeah. I know him too well. I'm not surprised that he's in the thick of this shitstorm. Not at all. Thank you, Gabrielle. All makes sense now. Sorry I made ya cry. I seem to be good at that."

"It's not you, not anything you did at least. Besides, you had the right to know, since you're a descendent of Dahak yourself."

The Destroyer rose. "Xena didn't believe I had a choice in what I could be. You hoped I did. I caused the same fight all over again. That's why Xena yelled at you." The young woman scratched her head and turned away. "I never intended to come between friends. I wish I could tell you that you're right, Gabrielle, but I don't know. Even after sixteen years I'm still not sure what I am."

Just then Xena came upon the group in the streambed. "They're too far gone to catch today…" Xena began before she noticed how distraught Gabrielle was. Seeing the tears in the bard's eyes she looked accusingly at the Destroyer, who had already motioned her cat to her side and was ready to leave.

"Xena," the brown-haired woman acknowledged with a nod as she passed by the Warrior Princess on her way back to the village. Mendi followed closely behind, happy to be reunited with his companion.

"She respects you," said Gabrielle after the Destroyer had gone.

"Gabrielle, what happened here? What's wrong?"

Gabrielle smiled and shook her head. "I told her everything, Xena. I told her about Hope, about Solan, about us. She asked me the strangest question. She wanted to know why you hated her. What did you say to her back there?"

Xena walked around behind Gabrielle and laid the seated bard's head against her stomach, running her fingers softly through golden-red hair. She stared off towards the horizon. "Some pretty terrible things," the warrior admitted. "She fired right back, though. She knows way more than she lets on, and she doesn't hold back the truth, that's for sure. I'm honestly not sure what to do now, Gabrielle."

"Where've you been?" the bard asked, resting her head against warm leather and armor. She wanted to break Xena's train of thought before she let self-doubt get the best of her. After all their years together Gabrielle knew it was critical not to let her best friend's confidence be shaken too badly.

"I saw Ares again. I let him know I figured out his game. He's been playing both sides from the beginning. He got to Tira Darkheart first and tried to win her over. She turned him down, and that's when he told us about her. He's been hiding her from the other Olympian gods, all except for one that he wouldn't name other than to say it was a goddess other than Discord."

"That's how she knew Ares. I told her that he was the father of the other Destroyer and it was all she could do not to laugh."

They sat there quietly for a moment, listening to the sounds of the villagers trying to clean up and save what little they had left. At last Gabrielle reached up and wrapped a hand around the warrior's arm.

"Xena, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything."

"No. None of that now. I'm sorry." Gabrielle assumed that Xena was sorry for her anger and her rough treatment of the bard in the past. She couldn't know that when the warrior closed her eyes all she could see was a snowy mountain and a Roman soldier with a hammer in his hand, ready to pound a nail through a board and the smooth hand beneath it. _I should tell her. I have to tell her, but I just can't. I still can't do it._

"So now what?"

"The raiding party should stop for the night and make camp since they can't reach the fortress in one day's ride. If we knew where they camped we could do a sneak attack at dawn. I'm going to try to wake that soldier we captured one more time."

"All right." Gabrielle felt the warrior move away, but she kept hold of Xena's arm gently until the tall woman's fingers slipped through hers and dropped.


	13. The Best Laid Plans

Xena returned to the village on her own, giving Gabrielle time to collect her thoughts alone. _I can interrogate that scum that tried to sneak up on me earlier. No time to worry about what to do with Tira Darkheart. Catching Miltiades is the first priority. The Destroyer's no imminent threat, just another headache for us to deal with. Still, I can't forget what Ares said. He may be a lying, manipulative son of a bitch but he has a nasty habit of telling the truth at absolutely the wrong time._

"Aaagh! Oh, by the Gods get it away from me! Get away!"

Xena was shocked to see the same soldier she was about to interrogate, awake and crawling as fast as his injuries would allow him, streaking towards her boots from where he had been deposited before behind the rubble of a building. She strode towards him and planted her foot in the dirt right in front of his face. "Stop that, you idiot, you're in no shape to be moving around. What are you babbling about?" Instead of answering, the soldier grabbed Xena's leg and held on for dear life.

"He's awake," said the Destroyer matter-of-factly.

"I'm getting entirely too used to seeing you near trouble," Xena smirked, but without the harshness she normally directed at the brown-haired girl. "What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything. Asked Mendi to find out what he tastes like for me. I suggested he try the left leg, which is prolly broken, by the way. Then he woke up, fast."

"Terrific," Xena sighed. She couldn't object too much to the methods, since the man was now awake and not much the worse for wear. She kicked him sharply in the face to make him let go of her. "Can you pull yourself together long enough to tell me what I want to know?" When the man still did not respond, Xena rolled him onto his back, knelt over his chest, and applied the technique she referred to only as "the pinch", pressing hard with two fingers on each side of his neck at the base of the throat. "Now you'd better start to talk fast, because I've just cut off the flow of blood to your brain. You'll be dead if I don't release it. Where are the raiders camping tonight? Answer me. Where will they stop?"

"Th-there's high cliffs along the river bank some ways south of here," the man choked out without hesitation. "Where the land starts to rise back towards the mountains. It's on the way to the fortress. They'll stop there for the night, and they might rest a day before they leave, but I don't know!" The young man started to turn very red in the face, so Xena quickly released the pressure points and he gasped, regaining his breath.

"Very good. As your reward, I'm going to leave you here and let the villagers decide what they want to do with you. If you're lucky they might decide they need a strong laborer to do all their dirty work for them, that is, if you can heal up in time."

"What? Leave me? You can't! You don't understand, I used to live here! Someone will recognize me sooner or later, if they haven't already. I didn't hurt my family, but I saw the others cut them down. No one here will speak for me!"

"Sounds good to me." Xena punched the man in the nose, knocking him out again. "And that's for thinking you could sneak up on me." She left him where he lay and turned to walk back towards where she had left Gabrielle.

"Xena." The Destroyer's voice rang out behind her, stopping her. "I know everything now. I know about Solan."

Xena's eyes narrowed coldly. "What about Solan?"

"How old was he?"

The Warrior Princess swallowed hard, remembering how she cradled her son's lifeless body and screamed until her throat was raw. "Twelve."

The Destroyer took a few slow steps toward Xena. Mendi appeared behind her at last. "He was a strong kid, I bet."

"He loved to climb trees more than anything."

"I'm sure he loved you very much."

Xena felt her eyes burn. She didn't know why she was even discussing this with the Destroyer, but something in her wanted the young woman to understand exactly what she had lost. "He never knew I was his mother."

Brown-black eyes went wide. "He didn't know?" The young woman looked down and scratched her head. "He woulda grown up to be good-lookin' and had a nice family," she said softly.

"Yes, he would have," Xena whispered.

"I hope you know I'm goin' after Miltiades. I heard the man. I've been to the spot they're camped at. Lots of cover. They think that makes 'em safe, but not against someone sneaky."

"We'll discuss that later," Xena replied sternly. She resumed walking out of town towards the place she had left Gabrielle.

"Later?" the young woman asked, puzzled.

Without looking back Xena called, "We can't stay in the village, and you can't either. Are you coming or not?"

The Destroyer shrugged casually and began to follow, Mendi in tow.

Gabrielle's eyes widened slightly when she saw who Xena had come back with, but she said nothing.

"We'll make camp here. There's no sense being in the villagers' way."

As the shadows began to lengthen Xena and Gabrielle quietly set up their camp and built a fire. The Destroyer sat opposite them, away from the fire, and unwrapped her wounded left arm. Pulling out her knife, she started cutting out the stitches where she put them only a day before. The bard, seeing what the young woman was doing, admonished her. "Tira Darkheart, it's way too soon to be doing that. You need to leave them in at least a week for a wound like yours."

"Really?" the young woman replied, amused, and showed Gabrielle the back of her forearm. Although the pink gash was clearly visible, the skin had closed. "I tolja I heal fast. I'da been better off if just the chakram got me, though. The bracer bending in made a mess o' me." She looked at the intact one on her other arm and sighed. "Gotta get a new one made, pain in the ass."

Mendi brought a rabbit into camp just then, carrying its limp body in his mouth. He dropped it in front of his companion's feet promptly. "Thanks, buddy. You mind if I share some?" The cat rumbled his annoyance, but was quickly soothed by a scratch between the ears. "I'll get one tomorrow and it's all for you, promise."

"You don't have to give us anything, Tira Darkheart," Gabrielle objected as Xena finished washing her face and hands with some of their water supply.

"Yeah. But if we're gonna brawl together tomorrow the least we can do is share dinner, doncha think?"

"I'm glad you brought it up, because you're going to stay out of it." Xena sat down roughly beside Gabrielle and stared down the Destroyer. "Here's how it's going down. I'm going to have a little 'chat' with Miltiades in his tent and that will be the end of it, one way or another. This is no disciplined army. This is a ragtag gang of looters with a strong leader. Cut off the head and the body dies. Once I take care of Miltiades, they'll scatter. If you jump in you'll make a mess of everything, and I want to see if you can actually follow a plan instead of blindly caving someone's head in. You understand?"

"I don't have to listen to you," the young woman snorted.

"But you will if you have any interest in seeing Miltiades dealt with properly. If a haphazard skirmish breaks out he might make it back to his fortress and then this gets ugly. Now do you actually want to help the villagers, or do you just want to fight somebody? It's your choice."

The Destroyer made a face, but she didn't argue. "What do you want me to do? You don't expect to ride in by yourself without backup, do you?"

"It's what you would have done, isn't it? No, I expect the cat counts as backup in your mind. That would defeat the purpose of it being a team effort. You're going to wait with Gabrielle, out of sight. I'm going to get Miltiades under control and bring him out. He'll either order his men to disarm and disperse, or he'll be executed in front of their eyes. Either way, they'll dissolve. If anything goes wrong, you and Gabrielle, and the cat if you insist, can come in from the flank, which they won't expect, especially with all eyes on me."

"You're going to let the rest get away?"

"I can't bring them all to a magistrate. The important part is that they're no longer a danger to the area, and without a leader they aren't a serious threat. First thing's first. I'm out for Miltiades. The rest are a secondary concern."

The Destroyer emitted what sounded like a growl, but she cocked her head towards the Warrior Princess. "Fine. Have it your way. I'll get settled inta place with Mendi 'fore dawn. You and blondie there can bring the beast along later, and we'll hit 'em as they're trying to pack up."

"If you promise to behave," Xena warned. "You stay put and wait for us."

"Said I would, didn't I? Shit."

"You'd better. If I arrive at your corpse and an empty camp I'm going to be very angry, and I don't know what to do with an orphaned cat."

The Destroyer began to laugh, the hollow, haunting laugh that unsettled everyone who heard it.

"What's so funny?" snapped the warrior.

"Nothing," muttered the brown-haired woman. "Nothing at all."


	14. Qu'est que c'est?

_Author's Note: Squick warning. This chapter contains graphic violence as well as the implied (i.e. "off-screen") sexual abuse of children. Hey, this story is rated M for a reason, folks._

Miltiades, in all his tattooed, shirtless glory, was enjoying sleeping in the day after his victory. At some point along the path to wakefulness he became aware of a long shadow over his bedding. Realizing that meant someone was in his tent, he bolted awake, his half-head of hair strewn carelessly over his face. He started to call out for his guards when he saw the two of them lying in a heap in the corner of the tent, right behind the tall woman who was looming large in front of him. "Xena," he mouthed, never taking his eyes off of the warrior as he groped for a sword, his armor, anything to make him feel less defenseless. It was no use.

"Hello, Miltiades. I hear you've been a bad boy."

"You'll never make it out of this camp alive, Xena. I'll draw my whole army down on your head with one shout."

"Like I'm afraid of a ragtag bunch of thugs and desperate kids you pull out of villages you destroy. It won't matter to you, anyway. You'll be crossing the river Styx before you even finish your call."

"Well what are you waiting for? Finish it, if that's what you're here for." Though he kept his face upturned, he was still fumbling for the sword he knew was somewhere in his bedding. His goal was to keep the Warrior Princess talking until he had the opportunity to strike first.

"What, you don't want a chance to save your sorry hide?"

"So you're hoping to make a deal, is that it? Well, name your terms."

Outside, crouched in the brushline that delimited the raiding party's camp, Gabrielle, the wild woman, and her cat were watching for any signs of life. They had seen Xena sneak into Miltiades's tent effortlessly while most of the soldiers were still asleep and the rest were occupied with early morning duties. Since then, however, there had been no indication as to what was going on. The Destroyer, in particular, was getting restless.

"What's taking Xena so long?" the young woman complained, fidgeting. "She shoulda dealt with that creep already."

"She knows what she's doing. We stick to the plan. You promised, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm stayin' put." She restlessly stroked her cat's beautiful coat of fur. "I just don't like it, that's all."

"After all these years I know better than to worry about Xena," Gabrielle lied. _I'm concerned about what's going on too, but I can't show Tira Darkheart that I have any doubts or she might go off on her own and then who knows what could happen. Part of me is glad we've got her muscle on our side. It's better than having to babysit Joxer, anyhow. But I can't shake this feeling that her being here is going to do more harm than good._ Gabrielle's train of thought was broken by a high-pitched scream coming from a tent near where the two adventurers were hiding. The Destroyer noticed it too, instantly stretching her head forward and listening intently.

More sounds came from the tent, muffled cries and sobs. Gabrielle and her companion watched in horror as soldiers emerged at last, pulling dirty and disheveled children in their wake. "By the Gods," the bard gasped. "That's why the raiding party isn't moving very fast. They have children from the village. They're going to make slaves of them, maybe sell them."

Beside Gabrielle, the Destroyer said nothing. She stared expressionless at the children. The blonde woman was too focused on the soldiers and their young captives to notice her ally's breathing quicken. What she saw next horrified her more than anything she had seen in years, despite all she had been through. At the end of the line, some older children were being dragged from the tent. Their clothing was either badly torn or missing completely. One girl who was crying particularly hard took small, ginger steps and held her arms over her bare chest as the man who pulled her by the hair leered at her. "Oh shit," the bard swore, "they didn't. They did…"

Gabrielle was startled out of her revulsion at the abuse of the children by a rumbling beside her. She turned to look at the Destroyer and her blood ran cold. The young woman was growling like a rabid animal, her jaw hanging open to reveal her deadly canine teeth. Most disturbingly, her companion's normally brown-black eyes had gone completely to black, and the whites of those eyes now glowed faintly red. "Tira Darkheart?" she sputtered weakly, not certain if the creature that was beside her could even understand anymore.

Mendi also noticed the change in his friend. The cat's hair stood on end, and he flattened his ears against his head. "This bad," he hissed, backing away from his companion slowly.

"What?" Gabrielle asked numbly, her reactions slowed by shock.

"You back!" Mendi yelped, tugging at Gabrielle's skirt with his teeth until they both fell backwards. Simultaneously the Destroyer burst forth from the bushes, roaring as fiercely as any wild beast and clutching her oversized knife tightly in her hand.

"So you really expect me to tell my boys to disperse?" Miltiades guffawed. He didn't dare look away from the Warrior Princess, but he had to find his sword. He knew he was running out of time.

"Well, or I could show them your head and tell them myself," Xena purred. She smiled down at Miltiades almost sweetly. She was somewhat amused that he didn't seem to think she could see him searching for a weapon. She was waiting for him to make his one sorry attempt to overcome her so that she could disarm him and give him his very last chance to take her threat seriously.

Both the warlord and Xena were momentarily startled, however, by a commotion outside that shattered the privacy of their negotiations. _Tira Darkheart, son of a bitch!_ Xena cursed inwardly, glancing over her shoulder out the flap of the tent.

Miltiades saw his moment and seized it. He leapt to his feet and grabbed one of the short spears that leaned against the side of his tent. With a yell he charged the Warrior Princess.

Xena was not impressed. However, the momentary distraction of her plan going awry made her lose the absolute focus required to be certain of disabling her foe without serious harm. She had no choice. She turned rapidly and kicked the spear to the side, drawing her sword as she did so. The shining blade cut down neatly between Miltiades's neck and shoulder, ending him with one stroke. Blood splashed against the back of the tent as the spear clattered uselessly to the ground. "Pathetic," Xena spat before running out of the tent, ready for nearly anything.

She was not prepared for the sight that met her as she shot through the tent flap. Across the camp she saw not only men, but pieces of men, fly through the air as a blur of brown and red whipped through Miltiades's raiding party. The soldiers who had been marching the children out of their tent never had a chance and were the first to go. The wave of men who came to investigate tried to fight the thing that had so brutally cut down their comrades, but they met the same fate. By the time Xena was able to recognize clearly what was going on, all the remaining men in the camp were fleeing. The warrior saw the Destroyer chase one man down with nearly superhuman speed, like a predator making a full-effort sprint to catch its last meal. When the creature caught up with the screaming man she tackled him, plunging her blade deep into the space in his armor under his shoulder. When he was down she rent his throat from his neck with her teeth. Never hesitating, the Destroyer leapt up from the corpse and moved on to the next soldier she could catch. There was another scream and another torrent of blood as an artery was opened.

_Fuck!_ was the only reaction the Warrior Princess could muster as she ran head-on for the rampaging Destroyer, the only threat left in the camp as far as she was concerned. She could plainly see the transformation that had taken place in the young woman. She was prepared to deal with Dahak's spawn by any means necessary.

Now out of targets to mangle, the Destroyer turned her attention to Xena and faced her down with a twisted, open-mouthed grin, panting and snarling. She stood her ground, blood dripping from every surface of her body. At the same time, Gabrielle and Mendi ran towards the combatants from the flank. "Xena!" the bard called out.

"Gabrielle, stay back! Whatever this thing is, it's not the Tira Darkheart we knew anymore!"

"No, I'm not running away from this!" Gabrielle shouted back, taking a stand at Xena's side. Mendi broke from the bard and positioned himself between his mistress and the pair that faced her down. Both Xena and Gabrielle noticed the way he looked back fearfully at the girl he normally followed without hesitation.

Before either Xena or the Destroyer could make the first move, the silence was broken by a loud sniffle. The Destroyer closed her mouth and stood up very straight. She slowly turned her head to see the group of child slaves staring at her in terror, crying and shaking. The young woman's brown eyes widened and lost their glow. She remained stock-still and looked from one child to the next without saying a word. She was suddenly very aware of the heavy coat of blood she wore. At last the oldest girl in the crowd screamed and ran, and all the other children followed her as they made for the treeline opposite the cliffs abutting the campsite. The Destroyer numbly sheathed her blade.

When Xena saw the brown-haired woman's face again, it was unrecognizable as the same opponent she had faced but a moment before. The Destroyer was deathly pale and trembling. She stared at Xena wide-eyed and swallowed hard. Without warning she sprinted for the bushes where she had been hiding before with Gabrielle and Mendi, opposite of the direction the children had gone.

"Gabrielle, go round up those children and keep them safe," Xena commanded as she made ready to pursue the Destroyer. Mendi dashed in front of the warrior, fur bristling.

"Don't follow," the big cat snarled, but the tall woman ran straight towards the animal and, with her signature war cry, leapt up into a high flip, easily clearing Mendi. She landed without losing a step and was gone in the bushes in another instant. Mendi, already exhausted from running and from fear, collapsed in a heap in the center of what had been the raiders' camp. "Please be all right," he whined into his paws.


	15. Broken

As the Warrior Princess searched frantically for the Destroyer in the brushy woodlands, Ares's warning rang loudly in her ears. _It won't be long before she'll be begging you to kill her, and you'll be eager to oblige. It could have been easy, before. But now it will be messy. And I'm going to enjoy watching how it all goes down._

"Well if you're watching now, Ares, I hope you're entertained," Xena said bitterly as she stumbled through the undergrowth. She cursed the noise she was making, but she had no time to pick through the terrain carefully. _How am I supposed to find someone who can sneak up on me without my knowing, especially if she is desperate not to be found?_

To Xena's surprise, her search turned out to be simpler than she could have imagined. No sooner had she despaired over how to find the girl than she heard a loud noise from somewhere to her right. She emerged from the brush to find herself standing at the edge of the cliffs. Barely a few paces in front of her was the Destroyer, huddled on hands and knees. The sound Xena had heard was the young woman vomiting over the cliff. As Xena watched she did it again, dry heaves racking her body and causing droplets of blood to shake off of her hair and clothes.

Xena approached cautiously, hand on her chakram. The Destroyer withdrew her head from over the cliff edge and pressed her forehead into the dirt between her hands. She coughed loudly and tangled her fingers tightly in her matted hair. Brushing just enough of it back that her face was visible, she turned her head to the warrior without getting up. "I – wasn't countin' on company, Xena."

"Tira Darkheart?" the warrior called out hesitantly, unhooking her chakram but keeping it at her side as she continued to creep towards the young woman.

"That's me, what's left o' me anyhow," came the choked reply. "'Scuse me," she continued before resuming her dry heaves, followed by another round of coughing. At last she rolled over onto her back and stared up at the sky. She did not move as Xena came and stood over her. The warrior noticed that the young woman's blood-soaked face had several clean tracks on it and realized that the brown-black eyes were brimming with tears.

Understanding what the Warrior Princess was looking at, the Destroyer wiped her bare forearm quickly over her face, but there was no stopping the flood that had been released, so she allowed the salty fluid to stream down her cheeks. "Y'know I can think of 'bout a hundred better ways to spend a mornin'."

"You're hurt. You're covered in blood," said the warrior.

"We both know most o' this isn't mine," the young woman whispered.

"You need help." Xena's voice was hollow.

Intelligent brown eyes flicked to Xena's chakram. "I know what sort of help you're here to offer, Xena. Hope ya know, I won't stop ya." She covered her face with both of her hands. "I'm so tired. So tired o' this shit."

"You killed at least twenty men."

"Tore 'em apart more like. Guess you were right after all, 'bout me. Do me a favor though. Tell Gabrielle not t'take it too hard, y'know?"

"You lied to me before. You said you loved to kill. This doesn't look to me like someone who loves to kill. A born killer doesn't bawl and heave her guts out after a battle." Xena was still fingering her chakram. _Damn you, Ares. You knew this would happen. You knew what would happen to her all along._

The Destroyer propped herself up on her elbows and laughed her cold, mirthless laugh. This time, however, it had a pained quality to it such that Xena could not distinguish whether she was howling with insanity or sorrow. "That's where you're wrong, Xena. You don't get it, do ya? I never lied. I do love it. I LOVE the thrill of the kill. It's like – it's hard to explain but I just lose myself in the madness, the rush of it. It's as if I'm not me anymore, I go to this other place and I'm watchin' myself do these things, like it's someone else, but it's still me and then there's the FEELING. Aw, Xena, I can't describe it to ya, it's the most ecstatic and incredible feeling I've ever known, like a hundred stars burst in my chest and there's no hunger, no thirst, no longing, nothin'…" The young woman shook her head and continued quietly. "So you see, it's not the killin'. It's the beast inside. It's the fact that I get that incredible feeling, and I can't get it any other way, but then I come down and I'm just so…" The Destroyer dropped her eyes to the ground. "It's terrible. It's really fuckin' awful to get that way over taking life, y'know? It's sick, and it's no way to be, but when I figured out what those bastards had done to the kids it just made me think of all the brutal shit that humans do and I – ah, forget it. It's done. I'm done."

"The kids," Xena whispered. "The children. You never hurt the children."

"Of course not!" the Destroyer snapped, anger flashing as she returned her burning gaze to the Warrior Princess. "They were no th–" It was then she saw that Xena's hand was no longer on her chakram. "No threat," she finished quietly.

The two fighters stared at each other for a long time in silence. At last Xena reached down, holding her open hand out to the Destroyer. The wild girl gulped and scratched at the dirt. When the older woman beckoned slightly with her fingers, the Destroyer finally took Xena's offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. As she stood up she could not completely hide a wince.

"You are hurt," Xena noted, some concern evident in her voice.

"Well," the Destroyer answered, clearing her throat, "when I get like that, y'know, that other side o' me, and I fight that way, I don't worry too much about keepin' my guard up, so I take some hits. It's nothin' bad."

"It wouldn't hurt to make sure."

"I'm fine. I'll be all right now."

"C'mon, let's get you cleaned up."

The pair found a chilly mountain stream that ran up to and over the cliffs, creating a small waterfall. Xena stood watch as the young woman squatted down in the cool water and scrubbed the blood and filth from her body. The Destroyer beat and ground her fur tunic against the rocks until it was no longer matted and sticky with bodily fluids, then slid into it easily and stepped out of the water. Xena turned back and saw a very different young woman than the one she had first encountered on the cliffs. With her shaggy mane tamed by virtue of being waterlogged and her fair skin no longer marred by grime, nature's wayward daughter revealed herself to be an attractive, solid-looking teenager. Xena noticed that blood ran afresh from a couple flesh wounds, but other than that her charge was none the worse for wear.

"You ought to bathe more often. You're a very nice-looking girl when you take care of yourself."

"Looks can be deceiving," the Destroyer chuckled, sadness evident in her tone. "I prefer to leave no mistake about what I am."

"You're keen to have everyone think you're a monster, but it's obvious to me you're trying as hard as you can not to be. Why the games, Tira Darkheart?"

"Ahh, I dunno, Xena. It's a strange situation. I guess it's like a warning. I mean, I could just vanish completely, y'know? I've done that off and on, over the years, but something always draws me back. You saw that I can read an' write. That's not all. I learn whatever I can when I'm in the towns and cities. Too smart for my own good, I guess. I can't keep myself away from all the stuff people do, the things they make and build, even though I really can't stand people in general. I always wonder how such vile, cruel creatures as humans seem to be create such amazing things. I've tried, y'know, to be like Mendi. It's easy for him. I mean, you've heard him talk, you know he can communicate. He's incredibly special, he's my brother, I love him. But ya talk with him enough and you realize he's a cat, and he's always gonna be a cat. There's nothin' wrong with that but it means he's got a set nature and can't go much beyond that. Me, I'm not that way. It's hard to explain, but I want more. I can't even say exactly what I want. I wish I could figure it out. But then I gotta deal with people again, and I have no choice, and I can't just wear a big sign that says "Dahak's Destroyer", 'cause I got enough problems with people as it is. So if they see that I'm still wild, that I'm not someone to fuck around with, they keep their distance, see? I don't have to brawl everyone I meet, and they don't get the teeth unless they're really askin' for it." The Destroyer looked over at Xena as she squeezed water from her hair and combed her fingers through it. "You get it? If they stay away, they don't get hurt, and I don't get hurt, but I still get what I want from 'em. It's better that way."

"I understand that all too well," sighed the Warrior Princess. "It's heavy burden to bear, knowing that the people close to you are only going to suffer by that association, but I can't imagine someone so young as you having to carry that weight. I didn't decide to cut everyone out until I was some years older than you. Even then, there were some people who left an impression on me, for better or worse. During my very lowest days there was Borias. We cut a path of destruction from here to the East and back. We hurt each other, we used each other, and in the end I got him killed, but looking back I realize that I did love him, as much as I was capable of something like love in those days."

"Who was he?"

"He was a raider I picked up in the Steppes, not far from where you say you grew up. He's Solan's father. He died because he did what I wasn't ready to do yet, turn away from pillage and destruction."

The Destroyer had begun walking, still grooming herself, and Xena found herself walking alongside her. The young woman looked up at the seasoned warrior expectantly. She knew there was more on Xena's mind than the past. Xena felt strange to be the target of such a piercing gaze, at once innocently questioning and doggedly searching for answers. "It's going to happen again, and I know it, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"What's gonna happen?"

"I'm going to take someone who cares about me down with me."

"You mean Gabrielle? I'd hoped the fact that you see me as somethin' more than demon spawn meant you wouldn't yell at her anymore."

"Of course not. No, that's not it. It's just…" The warrior felt herself instinctively shutting down. "Forget it."

"No you don't. C'mon. You know you got nothin' to lose, talkin' to me. I'm just a dumb kid anyhow, right? So say what's on your mind."

Xena couldn't help but laugh. "Whatever I might call you, Tira Darkheart, 'dumb kid' does not fit. Stubborn, brash, and immature, maybe, but never stupid. All right. I've already hurt Gabrielle so much, been forced to question whether our life together has done her more harm than good. If she stays with me, it's a matter of time before – well, she's going to lose everything. So I've been thinking lately that she doesn't belong with me, that she'd be better off going her own way and living a peaceful life."

The Destroyer stopped and stared in amazement at the Warrior Princess. Xena stopped too, wondering what could come next. "I seriously oughtta smack you, but I won't, seeing as we've been doin' such a good job not fighting. What's the matter with you, Xena? Did you take one too many head wounds in all these battles?"

"There are things you don't understand, things you don't know about!" Xena shot back angrily. She knew it wasn't the young woman she was angry with so much as the vision she couldn't shake, but she didn't like being challenged.

"Maybe so, but I know that blondie's got a bag full of scrolls, and every single one of 'em is about you. She's made her whole career as a bard singin' of the legendary Warrior Princess. Shit, I'd heard of you, hadn't I? What does that say? Long time ago that girl lost the distinction between her life and her life with you. So quit your worryin'."

"You have no idea what it's like to know you're the most destructive thing in a loved one's life!"

"And you have no idea what it's like to see two people mean so much to each other and know you'll never have that, ever!" the brown-haired woman snarled back, startling Xena. "Don't you get it? I would do almost anything to have a friend like that, someone who understood me completely, someone who could help me do amazing things. I know I can't even have a regular ol' pal besides Mendi, never mind a friend like you got in Gabrielle! If you go and fuck it up, Xena, by second-guessing yourself and every damn thing, I swear I will take your chakram, shear off your ears and nose with it, slam it over your head and hang you with it!"

"That was colorful. You could tell quite a story with language like that. Sure you don't aspire to be a bard yourself?" Xena was smiling in spite of herself. She wasn't sure if what the Destroyer said was true, but it eased her doubts for the moment. "Sounds like I'd better get back to that good friend of mine."

"That, and my brother's probably about to tear off lookin' for me. Let's go."


	16. No Rest for the Wicked

When the Warrior Princess returned alone to the former site of Miltiades's camp, Gabrielle was waiting with Argo. A restless Mendi paced the perimeter. Gabrielle examined Xena's appearance for any signs of what had happened, but the warrior betrayed nothing. "Gabrielle, where are the children? Were you able to find them?"

"It took some work, but I rounded up all I could find. Where's Tira Darkheart?"

"Taken care of. Are the children nearby?"

"They're hiding in the woods, but Xena, what do you mean 'taken care of'? Is she still…I mean…" Gabrielle could not see any traces of blood on Xena, her own or otherwise. It was then she noticed Mendi had stopped pacing and was pointed like an arrow towards the area from which Xena had come. He cried out something that Gabrielle could not make out, but she thought it might be his name for the Destroyer. Loosed from his bowstring he shot to the trees and excitedly ran around and around the ankles of his companion, who emerged almost shyly into the camp.

"I just wanted to make sure not to scare the kids off," Xena explained. "She's been with me the whole time."

"Tira Darkheart, are you all right?" Gabrielle asked as the young woman approached, cat in tow. The bard could see the open wounds she sported.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Think everything's straightened out now. Gabrielle –" The Destroyer looked at her feet. "I'm real sorry you hadta see that, earlier I mean. I didn't want ya to know about, y'know, the other side."

Gabrielle smiled weakly and shrugged. "We both saw what had happened to those children. If I had the kind of power you did, who's to say I wouldn't have done the same thing?"

"I know you wouldn't have. 'Cause you're you. And I'm me. I guess I feel bad I couldn't show you somethin' better than that."

The blonde woman looked at Xena. She was not sure what had passed between the two, but she saw her best friend look at the Destroyer sympathetically and took the hint. "You did. You could have kept going until the wrong person got hurt, but you didn't. You proved you can control yourself if you need to. I respect that."

The Destroyer cleared her throat and petted Mendi's head. "Well, this is all very warm and fuzzy but doncha have some kids to take home?"

"Yes, and we have to help the villagers rebuild," Xena agreed. "Why don't you come along? You could use some attention on those wounds and it wouldn't hurt to have an extra pair of hands around the town."

"Maybe later," the Destroyer replied. "Right now I need a bit of time alone. I might catch up with you two in a day or so."

"Promise you'll take care of yourself," Gabrielle insisted as she watched blood drip down the brown-haired woman's arm.

"Tolja I'm fine. You two go, get those kids back to their families. They'd probably freak out if I went with ya anyhow."

Later, Gabrielle and Xena helped the villagers straighten out their town as best they were able. On a low rise, out of sight in the shrubby edge of the woods, the Destroyer crouched, watching. She had wandered slowly back, choosing to stay hidden in the trees, lost in her own thoughts. The sun was getting low in the sky. The young woman felt a heaviness in her bones and knew she was tired from her ordeal.

Mendi broke her concentration with a brief lick on her arm. "Still bleeding," he reminded her.

"Ah, I know, brother. I just haven't felt like doing anything about it yet."

"Been most of the day. Angry with yourself again?"

"A little. You know how I feel when I go to that dark place again."

"Oh yeah, I know," the cat grumbled emphatically. "Always have to take care of you. You get sloppy and forget to watch your back. Sometimes humans get the better of you later."

"Yeah, seems to happen that way, doesn't it buddy? Well, hopefully I can pass out in a little bit and when I wake up things will be better."

"Too close to the humans," Mendi snorted disapprovingly.

"Those humans? They can't do anything. They just lost their town. They're going to be hard at work for a long time."

"What about those two you've been following? The tall mean one and the one with the stick?"

The Destroyer smiled slightly as she continued to watch Xena and Gabrielle work, far in the distance. "They're good humans."

"You like them?" the cat asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Yeah I do. They try to figure out what's right, and then they try to do it. What else can you ask? That's what makes a human good, in my mind."

"The one with the stick did scratch me a little," Mendi admitted. "Guess I don't mind her. Other one bothers me."

"Who, Xena? Oh, she's just like that. She has to act tough and nasty in order to get by, and to protect herself." The Destroyer laughed softly. "She and I aren't so different, I suppose."

"That's what I'm afraid of," a smooth, low voice crooned, causing the startled Destroyer to whip around in search of the speaker. Mendi's hair stood on edge, and he hissed. Ares, God of War emerged from behind a tree. "Trust me, she's not someone you want to emulate if you're interested in staying alive. Or are you? The cat was right. You are being sloppy about watching your back."

"You again? How long have you been watching me?"

"Most of the day. I wanted to see your command performance, and let me say you did not disappoint, although the part where you heaved your guts over the cliff was rather pathetic."

Color rose into the Destroyer's normally pale cheeks. "No one was supposed to see that! Bad enough Xena found me that way. Why don't you quit spyin' on me? I already tolja I'm not interested in any of your plans for me. All you want me to do is dominate, destroy, and kill."

"And isn't that what you're good at?" Ares smiled easily and approached the young woman. "Don't pretend you didn't enjoy every moment when you tore those men to shreds earlier. You were in your element, Tira Darkheart, doing what comes naturally. They deserved it anyhow, so where's the harm? Why not just follow your true self? With you at my side we could carve through every two-bit warlord's army in Greece, perhaps even take control of Rome's growing empire as well. You'd only be 'taking out the trash', so to speak. Why does it bother you so much? Why do you insist on fighting your destiny?"

"I don't believe in destiny!" the Destroyer snapped. "You're wrong about me. I wasn't born to kill."

"Oh yes you were. That, and that only, is exactly why you were born. It's in your blood, Tira Darkheart, and you'll never escape it. You can no more go against your nature than your pet there could cease to be a cat."

"No, I – I am…" The brown-haired woman backed away from the God of War, nearly stumbling on a root as she did so. She felt cornered, not by his presence but by his words. "I'm more than that!" she cried, meeting Ares's dark gaze head-on.

"Are you now? We'll see. Do you know any other way to solve your problems but fighting? What else could you do to save your best friend?"

"What are you talking about, you bastard? Mendi's right – SHIT!"

The Destroyer turned to see that a small "cage" of energy shimmered around a terrified Mendi. Frozen with fear at first, the big cat began to realize he was trapped and yowled wildly, throwing himself against the translucent walls of his tiny prison.

"You let him go right now Ares, or so help me I'm gonna…"

"You're gonna what, kid? Fight the God of War? You would, wouldn't you? But if you insist on taking that route, your animal here's going to pay for it." Ares snapped his fingers, and instantly Mendi's prison shrank. The trapped cat barely had room to turn around and became increasingly agitated.

"Hang on, brother! I'll get you outta this somehow!" She whirled back to Ares with a wicked smile. "You won't hurt him. You know what it'll do to me to see my best friend killed before my eyes, and then you know what it means for YOU."

Ares chuckled. "Nice try. You won't risk getting him hurt, so you'll behave yourself, as if you had a chance against me anyhow."

"You know what, it doesn't matter what you do in the end, Ares, because you'll never get what you want. I won't ever be a weapon in your hand, against armies, empires, or the other gods. Whatever happens here, and whatever I ultimately become, I'll do it on my own! Dahak's Destroyer answers to no one, man or god!"

The handsome god's features twisted into a sneer. "You know, I am really running out of patience with you. Maybe I have no choice but to destroy you after all." Without warning Ares hurled a ball of godly fire at the young woman, which she barely dodged. It struck a nearby bush, which combusted instantaneously with a loud roar. As the Destroyer came up out of her roll, Ares followed up with another blast which came even closer than the first. Breathing hard, she dragged herself to her feet and drew her oversized blade.

"It's no use, girl. You'll get tired. I won't. Reconsider my offer or I will finish you off, and I promise you no one will mourn you meeting your end."

_That's where you're wrong, Ares,_ the battered fighter thought to herself. _After all that's happened I'm already tired. He knew exactly what he was doing, coming after me now. He knew I wouldn't be able to face him full strength. But I gotta face him anyhow!_ "Let's see how you are at tossing that fire when you're the one runnin'!" she yelled confidently as she charged head-on at the God of War.


	17. Showdown

Xena and Gabrielle were helping the villagers to build a new shelter for their few remaining animals when they heard a strange sound to the east, from the forest. "Did something just explode somewhere, or am I imagining things?" Gabrielle asked her friend.

"No, I heard it too," the Warrior Princess replied, frowning suspiciously. "It sounded like it came from the woods, but I can't be sure." When the dark-haired woman turned to see what was going on, she saw a flash of light deep within the trees and heard the sound again. "Something's up over there. I don't know what's going on, but it's nothing good, I'm sure of it. Gabrielle, you stay here while I check it out. If there's danger someone needs to protect the villagers. They're completely defenseless if we leave them alone."

"All right," Gabrielle agreed reluctantly. She didn't like watching Xena go off on her own into trouble, but she knew the villagers would be vulnerable if she left, and Xena was trusting her to watch over them. Xena whistled loudly and Argo came bounding over in an instant. The bard saw Xena to the edge of the village ruins, where the warrior kicked her horse into a gallop and made for the trees. _Take care of yourself, Xena._

"Ow, shit!" the Destroyer cried out as she felt her flesh be seared by Ares's firebolt. Her fight with the God of War had not been going to her advantage. Caught off guard, exhausted, and with Mendi held hostage, she could do little better than feint now and again at the god before enduring his next barrage of attacks. The young woman forced herself up onto one knee, panting audibly. The side of her right leg had been burned. _Well, at least I know it's not too deep, because it hurts like a bitch, and if he'd really torched me I wouldn't feel it at all. Still, that was too close. I'm in real trouble here, and I'm runnin' out of chances._

Ares closed in on the wild girl, sensing victory. "Well? What will it be, Tira Darkheart? Are you ready to use your head for a change, or will you cling to your suicidal fantasies to the bitter end? Seems like such a waste."

"Rot in Tartarus, Ares," the Destroyer replied, dragging herself to her feet. Holding her blade high she charged the God of War once more.

"Have it your way," Ares growled, preparing to strike her down. Before the two combatants could meet, however, the air was pierced by a unique war cry and the thundering sound of hooves.

"Alalalalalayeeah!" the Warrior Princess trilled as she easily flipped forward off of Argo, using the momentum of the horse's gallop to propel her foot squarely into the God of War's chest as he turned to her. Taken completely by surprise, Ares stumbled backward a few steps, rocked by the blow. Xena landed neatly between Ares and the Destroyer, who had pulled her attack up short before reaching her target.

"Ares, just what do you think you're doing?" Xena demanded, drawing her sword and facing her old nemesis.

"I'm doing what you should have done already, Xena," Ares replied coolly, having collected himself once more. "I'm getting rid of Dahak's presence in this world once and for all."

"What a crock!" the Destroyer laughed. "He's mad that I won't be his tool, that's what this is really about." Though she would never have admitted it, the young woman was grateful for the chance to catch her breath.

"Ares always did have selective hearing when it came to the word 'no'," Xena smirked knowingly. "Are you all right?"

"Forget about that! He's got Mendi trapped! I need to free my brother!" The Destroyer jerked her tousled mane in the direction of Mendi's energy prison. Xena's quick blue eyes snapped over to the poor terrified animal, still fruitlessly throwing himself against his "box".

"Ares can only focus his power in so many directions at once," Xena noted, thinking quickly.

"Hit him from more than one direction?"

"You catch on fast." Both warriors came at Ares simultaneously, but Xena broke left while the Destroyer broke right, and at the same time Xena threw her chakram to ricochet off of a rock behind the god and come at his back. Although none of the three attacks was a serious threat to Ares, he could not concentrate on all three at once. The chakram hit him in the right shoulder as the Destroyer came in for a low tackle at the knees. Ares stumbled and was impaled on Xena's sword from behind. During his momentary distraction, the energy cage around Mendi became more transparent, and one slam of the frantic cat's head against it was enough to break free. The shimmering walls of power dissolved as Mendi shot into the woods without hesitation. He was gone before the God of War could recapture him.

Ares watched as the mark left on his shoulder from the chakram vanished quickly. "Ow, Xena, you've hurt my feelings." Flinging out his arm he knocked the Warrior Princess into a nearby tree, sensing nearly nothing as her sword slid harmlessly out of him. At the same time he kicked the Destroyer across the small clearing into another tree. She was able to glance off the tree without serious injury, but the force of Xena's contact with the stiff trunk knocked the wind out of the warrior momentarily. Only her armor and scabbard saved her from breaking a rib. "So you've freed the animal. Good for you. You've accomplished nothing. This is still gonna end the same way." He turned to Xena as she pulled herself to her feet, collecting her sword and chakram from the ground. "Stay out of this, Xena. It's not my intention to hurt you, but if you get in my way I will."

"For once, Ares is right about something, Xena," the Destroyer chimed in, brushing herself off and wiping the mud from her blade. "Look, I appreciate the save, I do. But now Mendi's free, and since I don't have to worry about him anymore…" The wild girl grinned menacingly in the God of War's direction.

"Don't be ridiculous, Tira Darkheart, you're not fooling anybody. I know you're tired and hurt and so does Ares. If you try to take him on your own he's going to kill you."

"That's my business," she replied confidently. "This is my fight. I'm going to prove once and for all the gods can't push me around."

"You heard the kid, Xena." Amusement was apparent in Ares's voice. In his mind, he had more to fear from the experienced Warrior Princess, who had proved in the past she could fight him to a draw, than the young and untested Destroyer. "She doesn't want any more of your help. Let her go out in a blaze of glory." He smiled cruelly at his target. "Ready to go, little one?"

"The question is, are YOU ready, you slime?" The Destroyer's voice had suddenly taken on an edge it previously lacked. "You couldn't even face me fair, had to come at me when I was out of it. Then you imprisoned my brother, my FAMILY…" With every word she spoke, the young woman's voice became deeper, more raw. The pauses between the words were punctuated by a low rumbling. Brown-black eyes were darkening.

Xena saw the tendons stand out on the Destroyer's hand where she gripped her blade. She understood what was happening. No longer concerning herself with anything but her battle, the young woman was giving her anger free reign, and it caused a terrifying transformation in her demeanor. _I was hesitant to stay out of it before, but now I'm not sure if I have a choice. Getting in the middle at this point I'm as likely to be cut down by Tira Darkheart as Ares, if she loses all control._ Reluctantly, the warrior sheathed her sword and stood by Argo, holding the nervous horse's reins.

"That's it, show me what you've really got, kid!" Ares roared triumphantly. "Let it all out! You think I'm any more scared of you at full strength?"

"I'LL TEACH YOU TO –" The Destroyer did not even finish her sentence before throwing herself at the God of War with a quickness she had not displayed earlier. She leaped just barely over the firebolt he tossed, letting it singe her fur tunic and burn some exposed flesh on her stomach. She crashed into the god's chest and shoulders and brought her knife streaking towards his face. In turn, he blocked her strike with his forearm and using the other hand threw the airborne woman to the side. As he did so he felt a creeping, icy sensation in his exposed shoulder.

The Destroyer hit the ground hard but rolled easily into a tripod position, her snarling laughter echoing through the trees. Ares looked down at his arm. Two small chunks had been torn away, and a white glowing substance seeped from the holes. They did not close instantly as the chakram and sword wounds had. He looked back at his opponent, furious. She merely licked her lips. "Power, raw power," she growled. "Tastes good. Want more!" Almost before Ares was aware of it the Destroyer was on him again, biting and slashing. This time, before he could throw her off, she planted her foot squarely between his legs.

"Ouch! Bitch, that hurt!" Ares was not used to mortal blows that could actually cause him harm. Angrily, he drew his sword. "Forget the barbecue. I'm going to carve you into little pieces and force feed you to that damn cat." The God of War felt slightly unsteady on his feet. He was now emitting a glow from his cheek and his collarbone as well as his shoulder.

"Threats, threats, but you aren't feelin' good are ya?" Dahak's granddaughter taunted as she came at the god yet again. Ares could swear his opponent was getting faster.

From her vantage point Xena could see the god's reaction time was slowing. _She's actually managed to hurt him,_ the Warrior Princess observed. _That must be how a Destroyer can kill a god. As she wounds him, his power begins to leak out. If she can hit a vital area it might leak out all at once and kill him._ Xena frowned. Despite all of the anger she held towards him, she did not want to see Ares die. Although she was not sure why, she was certain of the feeling. All her instincts cried out at her to intervene in the battle before it became deadly. Her reasoning mind told her that it was out of her hands. _There's no getting between them now. It would be like jumping into the middle of a raging flood and hoping to survive._

Ares was not used to fighting for his life, but he was still the God of War. When the Destroyer came at him again he deflected her blow and tore a long gash up her back with his sword as she passed. Seeming not to feel the wound, the Destroyer hit the ground, turned, and from her knees plunged her knife into Ares's side. As he cried out in surprise and pain she threw him to the ground beside her and mounted him, straddling his stomach and planting her hands on either side of his head. She leaned down into his face, teeth bared in a bloodthirsty grin, practically drooling on him.

"Tira Darkheart." A clear voice rang out from behind the Destroyer and she looked over her shoulder briefly at Xena before returning her attention to her prey. "Are you going to kill the God of War?"

"You really going to let her do it, Xena?" Ares gasped. He knew he was badly hurt. With every wound his godly strength seeped faster and faster out of his body. "You going to let Dahak's minion kill an Olympian? Do you know the kind of chaos that'll cause?"

"Shut up, Ares," Xena replied evenly. "Stop trying to save your sorry hide." The warrior continued to approach slowly. The Destroyer positioned her knife under Ares's chin, tickling the hairs of his goatee. "I'm not going to do anything. It's her decision. She's beaten you. I just want to make sure she knows what she's doing."

"Oh, I know what I'm doin'," came the throaty answer. Xena stopped, watching and waiting.

"Well, do it then!" Ares cried out, determined to face his last moment with the dignity and courage proper to the God of War.

The Destroyer removed her knife from Ares's throat and positioned it over his face. She brought it down in a flash, sticking it deep into the dirt next to Ares's head. Then she gripped his collar in her hands and yanked him nose-to-nose with her. Her eyes blazed with intensity, but they no longer glowed red, and brown showed through in her irises once more. "I'm gonna spare your sorry hide for two reasons, and I want you to hear 'em both. If you don't want me to change my mind you'll listen up. Got that, chump? Now, like ya said, you know the kind of shit it would bring down on my head if I killed an Olympian. I'd be hunted and hounded by all the gods for the rest of my life. Even if I could hold 'em off, and maybe I could, that's no way to live."

"Hah. I knew it," Ares sneered.

"I'm not done yet, you bastard. If that was all that was holdin' me back I might just be mad enough to do it anyhow, after what you've done t'me. But the thing is, I've realized somethin'. You tell me over an' over how I have no choice in who I am, when what I'm seein' is that you're the one without choices. You're the God of War, and that's all there is to it. That's your role, and you haveta fill it, for better or worse. Guess what I'm sayin' is that I see how your sorry ass has a place here. War's a shitty thing, but it's part of this life. If there was no war, it's not like everyone'd live all sunshine an' rainbows. Just means the order o' things would be frozen in place, no matter how good or bad it was. War's the only way to reset things, sometimes. Killin' you wouldn't solve that. Somebody's gotta be the God of War. Might as well be you." With that, she slammed Ares's head back against the ground, retrieved her knife, and stood up, taking a few steps back until she was even with Xena.

With some effort Ares picked himself up and sheathed his sword. Although he was still bleeding energy, his usual cool demeanor had returned. "Beaten in single combat and then spared by Dahak's Destroyer. I think this is a new low for the God of War." He shook his head and clapped slowly. "I have to say I'm impressed. With both of you. Xena, did I see a hint of discomfort in your face when you thought I might be killed? No, you don't have to answer that. I know I still have an effect on you, whatever you might say. Wouldn't want it any other way. You had the self-control to stay out of a situation that really wasn't your business, even after I brought you into it to start with. I know you wanted to cut Tira Darkheart down as soon as you saw her, yet here she is. You really are something else, Xena. I can always count on you to keep me guessing."

He turned his attention to the shorter woman beside the Warrior Princess. "And you – can't believe I'm saying this, kid, but I like your style. Earlier I warned Xena she shouldn't go getting attached to you, and here I am doing the same thing. I know this is the last thing you want to hear from me. Makes it even better to say it. You're all right, Tira Darkheart. I still think we'd make a great team, but if it's gonna happen it'll have to be at your behest, not mine. When do you decide you could use a friend on Olympus, I'll be waiting. Until next time." _Speaking of Olympus, I need to get back. All gods are at their strongest there and I'll be healed in no time. Need to make sure none of the others see me like this, though. Too embarrassing._ With a blue and white flash of light, Ares disappeared.

"He really gone?" the Destroyer asked.

Xena tried her hardest to sense Ares, but she could not. "Yes, he's gone."

"That's good," the wild girl said before she collapsed unconscious on the spot.


	18. Parting Ways

The Destroyer opened her eyes a hair and blinked once, then bolted upright into a sitting position when she realized she was no longer where she fell. Disoriented and alarmed she felt herself getting ready for trouble once more until something soft and gentle brushed the side of her arm. She heard an exceedingly loud purr behind her head.

"Bro!" she exclaimed excitedly. Mendi jumped into her lap, knocking her back into a prone position with his size. The Destroyer hugged her cat tightly, stroking his beautiful fur. In answer, he nuzzled her chin. The young woman calmed immediately. If Mendi was not on alert, she had no reason to be, either. "Oh, brother, I'm so glad you're all right. I am so, SO sorry I let Ares trap you like that! I know how terrible cages are. I was afraid it might mess with your head a little."

"I ran, and I ran, and I ran. After I was tired from running I felt much better. Then I came back for you."

"Aww. That was very sweet, but you probably shouldn't have. How would you have fought the God of War? He could have hurt you very badly."

"If you hadn't noticed, I think you're the one he hurt badly," Mendi replied dryly.

"Yeah, I guess I forgot about that. Huh." The Destroyer began to examine herself and her surroundings. She sat up again and shifted around. Nothing hurt very much. She licked her lips and spit. She was exceedingly thirsty. "I seem to be fine now. But where am I?" The Destroyer and Mendi sat in a very small tent with the flap closed, so that the only light was that which filtered through the canvas. The young woman listened carefully. She heard pounding and people talking. "Sure sounds like I'm in that village that was burned. But how?" She looked down at herself for the first time and saw that all of her wounds had been neatly bandaged. "So strange." Nudging Mendi to the side she began to unwrap her right leg, where she had been burned by fire. The skin was completely clear and flawless. "Man. Either I healed REALLY fast this time, or I've been out for awhile."

"A day and a half, actually," a clear voice answered from outside the tent. The flap was thrust aside and pinned back. "Hello, Tira Darkheart."

"Xena. What happened? Did you bring me back here?"

The Warrior Princess entered the tent. Through the flap the Destroyer could see that Gabrielle also approached. "Didn't seem like the thing to do to just leave you laying in a heap. I put you on Argo and made my way back to the village. You're a lot heavier than you look for your size." The warrior's voice was deadpan, but her blue eyes sparkled with amusement. "Had quite a time getting you away from that cat, though. He didn't want to let me anywhere near you. I had to ask him very nicely."

"That's my Mendi," she nodded, teasing the cat by folding his ears back and forth. "Always lookin' out for me. So, a day and a half? Damn, long time."

"We were worried," Gabrielle answered, coming into the tent behind Xena. "It's good to see you're awake."

"It was a bit disturbing for you to be out so long, but we saw that you were stable so we just left you alone," Xena added.

"We know you hate being touched, Tira Darkheart, but we figured since you were unconscious you wouldn't mind if we kept you from bleeding to death." Gabrielle smiled warmly.

"Yeah, of course. 'S fine."

Xena's eyes flicked down to the Destroyer's unbandaged right leg. "Looks like all that sleep paid off for you. That was a pretty bad burn right there. I know you heal incredibly fast, but you're going to want to be careful of your back for a few days. Ares very nearly cut you in two. If you hadn't moved as fast as you did he'd have cleaved your spine."

"But I did move." The Destroyer flashed a cocky grin.

"Do you need anything?" asked Gabrielle.

"Water," the young woman answered without hesitation. Gabrielle flipped her water bag to the Destroyer. She tipped it up and drained the whole thing, barely pausing to breathe. "Aw, sorry. Couldn't help it. Didn't mean to take it all."

"I can refill it," said Gabrielle, catching the empty skin as it was thrown back. "Anything else?"

The young woman was suddenly very aware of Mendi's positioning in her lap. She nudged him off and leaped to her feet. "Have to pee," she explained as she quickly passed Xena and Gabrielle. When she returned the two warriors, as well as Mendi, were waiting for her outside the tent. The Destroyer paused to examine the small structure. "When did anyone have time to build this? There's so much other work to do."

"It's amazing what people will do for someone who saves their children." Gabrielle smiled warmly at the Destroyer.

"Wait, what? But I didn't – you guys brought them back."

"You were the one who freed them. Gabrielle couldn't have taken on so many men without risking the children's safety, and I didn't know about them. You were the only one in a position to help them, and you did."

"I don't think…" The young woman stopped short when she realized a line was gathering in front of her tent. She saw, to her shock, that people were approaching, laying small amounts of food next to Xena and Gabrielle, and moving on silently. "Oh no, no, no. They can't do this. They don't have enough to give me anything."

"You gave me my son," a young mother whispered as she laid her piece down, then returned to her work.

The Destroyer blinked, nonplussed. She stood there mute and motionless. Finally she looked at Xena and Gabrielle and asked weakly, "Do you guys deal with this a lot?"

Xena merely laughed. Gabrielle smiled as she answered. "This is how people act sometimes when you help them. Haven't you ever gotten gifts before?"

The brown-haired girl shook her head. "Only worked for pay. No gifts."

Gabrielle was about to ask if the Destroyer liked helping people and getting gifts when she felt a tug at her skirt. She turned to see a girl standing behind her. With a lump in her throat she recognized her as the oldest girl among the rescued children, the one she'd seen being dragged by the hair at Miltiades's camp.

"Can I talk to her?" the girl whispered in Gabrielle's ear. The bard nodded and stepped aside, leaving the Destroyer face to face with the girl who had once screamed and run from her in terror.

"Hi," the Destroyer said softly, letting her hair fall down over her face.

"Hi," the girl answered shyly.

"Sorry I scared you before."

"It wasn't your fault. I thought maybe you were a monster."

"I am a monster."

"Well, even if you are a monster, I don't mind. Thank you for helping me."

The Destroyer looked up at the girl with profound sadness in your eyes. "No. I should have been faster. Couldn't stop what they did to you."

"Oh. That." The girl stepped on her right foot with her left and rubbed her arm. "It'll be all right. Everyone says it's not my fault."

"Of course it's not!" the wild woman replied emphatically. She sighed. "Look. Sometimes really bad things happen to kids, because evil people take them. But I want you to know it doesn't have to break you. You can be strong again. If you want to, you will be. Can you do it? Can you make yourself strong?" The Destroyer looked straight into the girl's sad hazel eyes, piercing her with intensity.

"I will," she nodded, and stood up a little taller. At the same time, Xena looked over at Gabrielle and smiled.

Gabrielle returned her friend's grin. _If I didn't know any better I'd say Xena was proud of Tira Darkheart._

The girl looked over at Mendi, ever present at his companion's shins. "Your cat is really pretty."

"His name is Mendi. He's my brother. Do you, ah, you wanna scratch his head?"

"Sure."

The Destroyer knelt down and whispered in Mendi's ear. "Can you let the small one pet you? She likes you."

"Guess so. Little humans aren't as bad," Mendi said back so quietly that no one could tell her was speaking except his mistress. He walked over to the girl and sat down in front of her. Hesitantly she reached out and touched his head. When he didn't move she rubbed between his ears and let him smell her hand. At last he bumped his head into her palm before moving back to his friend. The little girl smiled brightly at her shaggy savior, nodded, and walked away. The Destroyer watched as she went back to the very beginnings of a house on the side of the main throughfare and was embraced by a woman and a gangly, tall boy.

"That was very nice, Tira Darkheart. I thought you didn't like people," Gabrielle teased.

"Kids are different for me, I guess." A shadow fell over the Destroyer's face. "No one should hurt a kid. It – does things to them, y'know? Changes 'em."

Hearing the sadness in the young woman's voice made Gabrielle wonder what sorts of trauma she could have experienced in her short life. _Best not to ask now. If she ever wants us to know, she'll tell us._ "Hey, aren't you hungry? You've got a small banquet waiting for you back there."

The three adventurers and the cat spent the rest of the day resting and helping the villagers with various tasks. When night fell, a large fire was built in the center of town, using the last of the discarded wood as fuel, and Gabrielle regaled the villagers with tales of her travels with the Warrior Princess. She told them of Aphrodite, of the bacchae, of Callisto. She drew uproarious laughter as she mimicked Joxer the Mighty. She brought moisture to many eyes as she described how she fought to bring Xena back from the dead with the help of the King of Thieves. All the while, Xena and the Destroyer sat at the back of the crowd. The warrior could not help but smile as she saw how much the wild woman enjoyed Gabrielle's stories. "Did I hear that right, that blondie's queen of the Amazons?" she asked at one point. Xena nodded in reply. "Damn. A Warrior Princess and an Amazon Queen. What a pair!"

"What a pair, indeed," Xena replied, smiling broadly. It was times like this that she questioned how she could ever consider leaving Gabrielle behind. "It could be worse. My traveling companion could be a feral stray. How do you put up with it, Mendi?"

"Ha. Very funny, Xena."

The next morning, Xena and Gabrielle stood with Argo at the edge of town. The Destroyer stood likewise with Mendi. It was time to say goodbye.

"Where will you go?" Gabrielle asked.

"Not sure yet. Still need a new bracer. Maybe get a better pair this time."

"Don't buy from anyone named Salmoneus," Xena muttered.

"Huh?"

"Forget it. What about afterwards?"

"Eh, wherever I feel like. I need some me time, to sort out all this shit in my head. Got a lot to think about nowadays, y'know?"

Xena nodded. "I understand. Take care of yourself, friend."

"Oh, I w – wait, what?" The Destroyer was not sure she had heard correctly. "Did you just say that I was…"

"Hey Tira Darkheart, didn't you tell me when we met that you would tell your friends your name?" Gabrielle asked playfully.

"Damn. Got me there, Gabrielle. All right, fine. You win. Katalina Tira Mendski, at your service." The young woman curtsied awkwardly. There was a moment of silence as the adventurers pondered this information.

"So it's Kat then," Xena said at last.

"Yeah. It's Kat."

"Good to know you, Kat." Gabrielle finally understood what she had heard Mendi call his companion when he ran towards her at Miltiades's camp.

"Same to you, Xena, Gabrielle. You two look out for each other now, ya hear?" She looked meaningfully at Xena.

"Always," the warrior answered. "Will we run into you again?"

The Destroyer chuckled. "I'm sure you will. Trouble seems to follow me, and you two follow trouble. So count on it."


	19. Epilogue

Ares materialized in a quiet corner of the Halls of the Gods back on Mt. Olympus. He realized he had done so just in time. Transporting himself had taken far more effort than he was used to. However, almost as soon as he appeared the glowing holes in his body dimmed and began to shrink.

"There we go, thought so." Ares flashed himself a confident grin, seeing his reflection in a hanging shield. There was no sign of damage to his cheek. "Be good as new in no time, and the others are none the wiser."

"What was that, brother?" a voice called from behind the God of War.

"Dammit," Ares grumbled.

"Look at you," the husky voice purred. "You're a mess. Should I take this to mean the situation has gotten, as you said before, 'out of control'?"

"Oh, stuff it," Ares answered without turning around. "I can tell you're gloating. If you tell any of the others about this, I will make you very sorry."

"Give it a rest, Ares. You don't need to threaten me. I could care less about your embarrassing little problem anyhow. Your secret is safe. I want to keep this mirth all to myself. So, is it time for me to kill the demon child?"

"No. Leave her alone. She's not a threat, not yet anyway."

"Really? I'm surprised at you, Ares. You like the mortal girl! Tell me, do you fancy having her as a substitute for your lost Warrior Princess?"

"Hey, that's taking it too far," Ares snapped, whirling to face his tormentor. She chuckled, leaning easily on her bow. "Don't get me wrong, she's not a bad-looking mortal, and I wouldn't object to 'having her', as you call it. But she's no Xena. Besides, she's not interested in my plans at the moment. I'll give her some time. She's a hotheaded little psychopath. All she needs is a bit more tragedy in her life and she'll be ready to mow down half the countryside. I can wait." Any signs of Ares's struggle with the Destroyer were now gone completely. He turned to leave. As he stalked off, his sister playfully notched an arrow and shot it at his back. Ares flipped a ball of fire over his shoulder, exploding the arrow, then gestured rudely behind his head and was gone.

"I wonder," the goddess mused, now alone. "I wonder if perhaps I might find the mortal girl of some use to me after all."

TO BE CONTINUED...

_Well, that's all folks! I hope you enjoyed the Destroyer's first adventure. There is to be more, much more. This was just act 1 after all. Act 2 is foreshadowed rather nicely already so I don't feel the need to give anything else away. I appreciate reviews both good and bad, as long as they are honest and thoughtful. If you liked this story, consider "staying tuned" even though the next section is not a Xena and Gabrielle story, per se. After all, they went to India! They can't be everwhere at once, can they? Well, perhaps someone should have told TPTB that, back in the day..._


End file.
